The Flash #300 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Barry Allen awakens in a mental institution. Completely paralyzed and wrapped in bandages, Allen is greeted by noted psychiatrist Dr. Petrou and the doctor claims to know the truth behind Barry Allen's role as the Flash. Instead of becoming super fast when Allen was dosed in chemicals when struck by lightning in his police lab, Dr. Petrou states that the elements badly scarred his entire body and left him a quadriplegic. Languishing in agony in his hospital bed, Barry took inspiration from his childhood love of the Golden Age comic book hero, the Flash and created a fantasy world as this world's fastest man alive.

Barry refuses to believe Dr. Petrou. Using his scientific mind, Allen goes through the Flash's Rogues Gallery in hopes of detecting who placed him in his current predicament. However as family and friends, including the Green Lantern and Ralph Dibny, stop by to visit Barry in hopes of curing his delusions, Allen begins to face the very real possibility that all that Flash stuff is really just in his head.

This 25th anniversary issue plots a very intriguing mystery while providing detailed snapshots of the history of the Flash. It was everything this author could do to not skip to the end to find out who was behind Barry's incapacitated state. It was even more difficult because book-ending the inside covers of this issue was a 2-page analyst of some of the Flash's most unusual transformations by noted cartoonist and comic book historian Fred Hembeck. As the mastermind of this plot is revealed on the very last page of this double-sided issue, if you go to read the 2nd page of Hembeck's 'Flash-Grams', you'd likely spoil the ending!

From 1981, just about every major Flash villain is examined, along with Barry Allen's extensive family as well as the Flash's history with his friends in the Justice League. Issue #300 was written by Cary Bates who was a primary writer for The Flash at the time and infamously recently responsible for the death of Iris West Allen at the hands of the Reverse Flash. 

The main artist was Barry Allen co-creator Carmine Infantino. He was assisted by Bob Smith. The artwork is so seamless, you really cannot tell where Smith's handiwork begins and Infantino 's ends. According to the DC Database Wiki, Bob Smith is attributed as the inker despite no inker role being listed in the credits of this issue.

A rarity in comics. No ads at all! Just 100% Flash fun and action at lightning speed. Just one little problem, during the entire charade, Barry Allen accidentally revealed to the villain that Hal Jordan was the Green Lantern. Did anything ever come of that?

Completing this review completes Task #19 (written or illustrated by Carmine Infantino) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Stargirl Spring Break Special #1

This 2021 special was released to do three things: 1) build on the popularity of the Stargirl TV series on TheCW, 2) act as a lead-on to the revamped Stargirl mini-series and 3) be a sort of bridge for yet another revamp of the Justice Society of America. I like to think that this one-shot has a 4th purpose- explain how Green Arrow and Speedy were members of the Seven Soldiers of Victory in the Golden Age way before the two characters even existed in the modern DCU.

The answer it turns out is time travel. Okay. Mystery solved. Still, that wasn't all this book was about. But it did do a very good job explaining a plot hole that's been dogging DC Comics since the CRISIS.

The remaining Soldiers are planning a reunion- in Myrtle Beach of all places. Pat Dugan is eager to see his old friends. Just as eager is Stargirl, who can't wait to get out of school for Spring Break and meet some other super heroes and hopefully, their younger sidekicks. The reunion starts off fairly well until one of the newer heroes makes an ominous proclamation resulting in the disappearance of Pat, Green Arrow and others. 

Together with Arrow's newest sidekick, Red Arrow, Stargirl begins a search for the missing Soldiers. The prime suspect behind all of this is the Clock King. Add some time displaced dinosaurs, the unsolved mysterious death of one of the Seven Soldiers and a time loop thanks to a malfunctioning time machine and you've got an exciting story that could be read as a stand alone or be your introduction to Stargirl #1. 

Only, there never was a Stargirl #1. 

Thanks to COVID related delays, the follow-up series to this special didn't debut until late 2022. With a cover date of January, 2023, Stargirl and the Lost Children continues the search for the missing member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory as well as a whole bunch of child sidekicks from the Golden Age who also went missing. 

As of right now, that 6-issue miniseries has not been collected as a hardback or trade paperback. But if it did, I would pick it up to read for sure. Just as this special was, the miniseries was written by Geoff Johns. I've said it once and I'll say it again: Geoff Johns could write the phone book and I'd read it. But don't think I won't read that story in single issue form. If I was to find these issues in a dollar bin, I'd definitely snatch them up for a read. Not knowing until now that The Lost Children was the follow-up to this book is why I hadn't read the mini before. 

Fun in the sun with some time travelling mishaps thrown in. Plus a preview of Justice Society of America #1, which was also delayed until 2023 and a fun page by the great Fred Hembeck!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Peter Porker: The Spectacular Spider-Ham- The Complete Collection, Vol. 1 (Family Comic Friday)

I gave up. Instead of trying to buy the complete 17 issue run of Marvel's Star Comics imprint devoted to the funny animals of the Marble Universe, I gave it and purchased this massive collection. 

I was missing about a dozen issues of Spectacular Spider-Ham and each one was running about $5-7 per issue. In fact, there was 1 issue that I couldn't find selling for less than $125. So I gave in and bought this book for less than $30, used. (It also helped that I had Amazon gift cards.)

Resting in May Porker's basement is a tiny spider named Peter. While working on an atomic hairdryer, May receives a large dose of radiation. This turns her temporarily rabid and May bites Peter as a result! 

The bite turns Peter the Spider into Peter Porker, a bi-pedaled swine with an eye for photography. While working as the main photographer for the Daily Beagle, Peter Porker makes a living selling photos of himself as the Spectacular Spider-Ham. These antics as a costumed hero brings Spider-Ham face-to-face with a myriad of super villains including Duktor Doom, The King-Pig and the mysterious Bee-Yonder. 

Don't feel too bad for Spider-Ham. Helping him out against these villains are allies such as Captain Americat, Nick Furry, Agent of SHEEP and heroic psychiatrist Doc Clamson. When the heroes of the Marble Universe aren't able to give Spider-Ham a hand, our friendly Neighborhood Spider-Ham can rely on his non-super-powered friends like girlfriend Mary Jane Water-Buffalo and the junior newspaper reporters of the Daily Beagle!

The stories are extremely fun. They can also be funny. However, this is a work of parody and some of the gags just don't cut the mustard. But the creativity of co-creator Tom DeFalco (Archie Christmas Spectacular 2022) and assists by writers such as Fred Hembeck and Mike Carlin (Star Trek) are unmatched. 

The artwork is all quite good. But the work of Steve Mellor and brother Mike in the debut story is perhaps the most striking. There's a hint of art deco to the first issue that was originally published as Marvel Tails. Everyone looks like they are drawn with italics. In fact, Captain Americat looks like he's walking on a ramp throughout the whole thing! But I love it!

I've shared works starring Spider-Ham in several Family Comic Friday postings before. But the reason I share this book in particular is mainly because of the rating Marvel gave this work and it's dead wrong. Marvel has this book rated for readers aged teen (and higher). Yet, with exception of that first story, which was released as a Marvel title, issues #1-17 of Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham were originally released as part of Star Comics, an imprint for readers aged 10 and under! 

Unless Star Comics readers in 1984-1989 were much more mature than the Gen Z readers of today, I don't see a reason this book should have been rated for Teens. In fact, Amazon grades this book as suitable for those in preschool and higher. Now, I think that's a bit young as there are some decent sized words in these books and the scripts are a tad wordy. But at least that recommended age range is closer to whom these comics were originally geared towards.

Over 400 pages with tons of inside jokes and Easter eggs. This is definitely a work that the parents and grandparents who grew up with Spider-Ham will enjoy perusing with the young readers in their lives!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Tick 20th Anniversary Special #1(2022 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

One bright shiny day at the Brockton, Massachusetts location of New England Comics, a lanky young man places a sketch on the store wall. At the request of one of the store managers, Ben Edlund submitted a portrait of an all-new costumed character called The Tick. Is he a hero? Is he a villain? Nobody knows because this was a character that Edlund came up with spur of the moment. 

A few weeks later, Edlund is asked to flesh out the character into a 3-page tale that would appeal the 14th and 15th volume of the New England Comics Newsletter (July-August & September-October 1986). The character was a hit with customers who quickly demanded more adventures. 

Seeing an opportunity in the burgeoning Indy comics craze of the mid-80s, NEC signed a deal with Edlund to create a new comic series based on the Tick. Originally, Tick was designed wearing a furry brown costume. But a fan vote updated the character into a sleek, navy blue uniform with animated antenna. Ben's dad helped to design the logo while the minuscule printing company Associated Printers (later Morgan Printing Inc.) jumped into the realm of comic book fabrication for the very first time. It took about 2 years, and with the Indy comic bubble having burst, about a dozen distributors, but the Tick #1 was shipped out to fans and nationwide comic sellers in 1988. Fingers were collectively crossed.

And the Tick was an immediate hit!

Jump forward to 2006 (or 2007 according to the publication date) and New England Comics was celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the creation of the Tick! A beloved animated series on Fox Kids, a cult-classic short lived live series on Fox, a secret fan club, and dozens of comic books and tons of merch later and the Tick still thrived. Naturally, it was time for a tribute one-shot. 

With The Tick 20th Anniversary Special, NEC culled from the numerous talented writers and artists who had previously worked on the character as well as other members of the Tick universe. The Man-Eating Cow, the Chainsaw Vigilante, and sidekick Arthur are among those who make appearances. (But where's Paul the Samurai?!) Creator Ben Edlund along with his dad, crafted a new 4-page center spread story that some consider the epilogue of the long-delayed Tick #13. And non-associated talent such as Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT), Scott Shaw! (Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew) and Fred Hembeck (Dateline: @#$%) make contributions as well!

While the grab bag of work is a mix of brilliant tributes and sorely-lacking fantasy, the price of admission is the lengthy articles that dig into the early history of The Tick. I really learned a lot and since the print was ultra small, I felt like I read a coffee table book's worth of comic book history. And eye strain to boot!

While I wasn't a big fan of the tributes, I definitely want more Tick. I also want to complete my collection of Tick back issues. If this book was meant to be an smorgsabord of Tick bites, it definitely whet my appetite and a trip to NEC's online Tick store is in my future.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #7 (Already in Your Collection) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

The Nearly Complete Essential Hembeck Archives Omnibus

Fred Hembeck- The Man who launched a thousand optometry appointments. 

Fred Hembeck has been a part of my life for a very long time. From his hilariously deadly Fred Hembeck Destroys the Marvel Universe to his splash page spreads in Marvel Age to his similar postings in DC's Daily Planet, I cut my teeth on the cartoonist/comedian/comic book historian. While I am sorry for the bite marks, I am even more sorry to say that none of those amazing works I previously mentioned are in this book. 

The omissions are due to those works being owned by DC and Marvel and this massive work was published by Image. But packed within this 900 page behemoth are all of Fred (and your) favorite characters. Superman. Spider-Man. Jimmy Olsen, The Hulk, Nick Fury, Bizarro. Dennis the Menace. Wife Lynn and daughter Julie. And of course Fred!

The majority of work in this collection is from Hembeck's Dateline: @!!?#, a regular comic column that appeared in various incarnations of the Comic Buyers Guide. There's some rough drafts, experimental non-comic book related work. That tragic assault on a Native American family by US cavalrymen will haunt me till the day I die. Plus, there are dozens on comic book cover recreations; including some brilliant switches that take a DC icon and a Marvel regular and put them in the other's books. 

As I mentioned earlier, this book is just a fraction under 1000 pages. I should have finished this book in just a couple of months. But I took my time. For one reason, Hembeck is noted for using very, very tiny letters, as he's got lots to say on the subject of sequential art. So I would have to take breaks due to eye strain. Unfortunately, some of the Datelines didn't reprint very well either due to smudging or too dark inking. So I had to skip a couple of them as they were indecipherable. That being said, reading 2 or 3 of Fred's Dateline: @!!?# reports,which are normally only 1 page in length each, is tantamount to reading an entire magazine's worth of articles. 

If this type of writing/reviewing style sounds familiar, yeah it probably does. I do see a little bit of Fred Hembeck in my love of comics. Makes sense. I see a lot of my most beloved professors from my degrees in both culinary and history in my day-to-day professionalism. They say that if you spend 10,000 hours on something, you become an expert in it. At age 44, I probably qualify as such with comic books, though I still have much to learn. And Fred Hembeck was and is one of my comicdom professors. 

Oh, yeah... The other reason for taking so long to finish this work! I didn't want my time with Hembeck to end!  I've been honored to be a Fred Hembeck acquaintance for almost a decade now. I bought a Supergirl sketch card from him on eBay and wound up a friend on Facebook. Every year, my family look forward to his witty (and long) birthday wishes to me. Now we've evolved into rivals playing each other on a music trivia app. 

So when I closed the book on this for the last time I was sad. But then I realized that Fred has a website. And it is still accessible. So I've got lots more education to gain from Mr. Hembeck!

And sir- if you're reading this- Very sorry for those bite marks! Hope they've healed!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Mars Attacks The Holidays

A hilarious look at the holidays with those pesky attackers from planet Mars. Based on the Topps bubblegum cards from 1962, this 2012 over sized one-shot was part of the massive 50th anniversary campaign. 

Mars Attacks The Holidays covers 4 holidays. First up: it's Feisty Fred Hembeck as he explores the exploits of a reconnaissance team during a 1950s All Hallow's Eve. The next holiday was one that you'd think would be the subject of countless specials due to the lengthy legacy of War comics, Veteran's Day. But with the second story of a scout invasion set on the eve of the very first Armistice Day, I now have my first Veteran's Day inclusion to my holiday comics collection. 

Thanksgiving is the setting for the third story. Set during the annual Turkey Day parade, this parody has Mars finally going all out on the earth. This story is done up like a MAD Magazine parody with lots of famous celebs but with skewered names. I found it rather interesting that despite being published in 2012, our current POTUS just happens to be a rather pesky main character in the story. Geez- I didn't realize how hated Trump has been. I only thought it was with him running for Prez in 2016 that folks began to have such venom towards him. I was wrong.

The last story is set at Christmas. And with this story, the yuks stop. Mars hasn't conquered our planet. But they've clearly laid waste to it. Taking inspiration from the legendary Christmas truce of 1914, things end poignantly if not on a little bit of a bummer.

I rather enjoyed this book. I love the Mars Attacks franchise. (Yes, I realize that doggies and kitties get wasted without care when it comes to these globe-domed aliens. But I still love it!) The first three stories were so hilarious. And having a Veteran's Day story was an added treat. While I also liked the Christmas story, having it's tone be a complete 180-turn from the other stories left me feeling a little unfulfilled. 

I've waited 8 years to get this book on the cheap. An $8 cover price was too rich for my blood. And for years, I could never find this book for less than $15; much less in a dollar bin. But I guess with the pandemic, I was at the right place and the right time to find this book online for the right price. 

Definitely, this one-shot was worth the wait. But it surely is a book that will leave you with a gut punch or two.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

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.

Fantastic Four Wedding Special #1

2018 was a year of mostly downs for Marvel. But there were a few bright spots for the House of Ideas. Spider-Man was by far their best line of properties, including the amazing new stuff that was being done with Venom. Another bright spot for 2018 was the return of the First Family of Marvel, The Fantastic Four. However, due to the X-Men wedding debacle in which we were all ready for Kitty Pryde to finally marry Colossus and the whole bait and switch with Rogue and Gambit tying the know instead, I waited a little bit before I decided to buy this special issue.

Once the nuptials were confirmed and Alicia ended up not being a Skrull (at least for now), I ponied up the $4.99. Don't worry, it's an over-sized book, slightly. Plus, it's well worth the money.

There's a trio of stories here. The first shows the shenanigans surrounding Alicia's bachelorette party. Written by Gail Simone (Wonder Woman), the opening adventure was quite funny, a little naughty, and had a very touching ending to it. It guest stars She-Hulk, one of my all-time favorite Marvel ladies. But when did Jennifer Walters start to become more primal (again) when she goes green?

In the second story, current Fantastic Four scribe, Dan Slott, has Ben Grimm visiting Alicia's father, The Puppet Master, for his daughter's hand in marriage! Of course, old baldy is going to say no! SPOILER- he doesn't! The reason why was straight out of the late Stan Lee's playbook! I loved it!

Lastly, living legend, Fred (he actually writes me an annual Happy Birthday message on Facebook) Hembeck does a small feature on the tumultuous history of the Puppet Master and The Thing as only Fred can do it! And yes- the knees still have spirals on them!

The art of this entire book was also very good. Marvel has gotten a lot of due flack for the lessened quality of new artists. But Laura Braga (Harley and Ivy Meet Betty and Veronica) is a real talent. And Mark Buckingham, who has been a favorite of mine since his Fables days, brings a real 70s flair to the Thing/Puppet Master story. (I don't care what you think- to me, the 70s was the best stylistic time for the FF!)

Lastly, we come to the cover. There were several to choose from. But I went with the regular cover. It depicts The Thing getting ready to smash a glass with his foot. Being a Jewish wedding tradition and married to a beautiful Jewish princess, you know I had to pay respects to the Tribe! 

Be sure to take an extra look at the cover! Our photographer is obviously Peter Parker! But look at the awe-inspiring tribute touches added by cover artists Carlos Pacheco and Romulo Fajardo Jr. Just below Parker's elbow is The King, Jack Kirby wiping away a tear. North of Peter's shoulder is Stan Lee making one final appearance in the lives of his most important creation. (Is that Fabulous Flo Steinberg next to Stan the Man?)

The Fantastic Four Wedding Album is a treat not to be missed. I can't wait to save up some money for the actual ceremony that takes place in Fantastic Four #650. My guys at my favorite LCS have it on hold for me. If it's half as good as this one, then I will be in for one hell of fun read!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Big Book of Urban Legends

 

  The escaped mental patient hiding in the backseat...
    Alligators living in the sewers of New York...
    The woman who microwaved her dog in the microwave...
   
     Urban legends. We've all heard of these stories. Whether we've told these stories around a glowing campfire or heard that these really happened (to a friend of a friend), our culture is filled with these stories. Some tales have were born from a bit of truth. Others are steeped in our fears or prejudices. But no matter where these urban legends came from, they've become a little bit of a guilty pleasure of mine.
     I found the Big Book of Urban Legends in a bargain bin in one of my favorite local comics shops. I've been a fan of the Big Book series, published by now defunct DC Comics imprint Paradox Press, for quite some time and when I can find one to complete my collection, I rarely hesitate to own one. Maybe I'm biased but this one just happened to have a little bit of a special history for me.
    The Big Book of Urban Legends was written by noted folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand. My mother, a lover of Gothic horror in her own right, just happened to own a trio of books devoted to urban legends and these books coincidentally were written by Brunvand!
     I remember one rainy weekend that I found my mom's copies and read them- no I devoured them! Some were scary. Some were weird. Some were even titillating. But above all, they were all captivating. As a result, I became a fan of urban legends and this was a fun trip down memory lane for me in a way.
    This collection features dozens of artists who tackled their favorite myths. Legends such as Joe Orlando, Dick Giordano, and Keith Griffin are just some of the talent found in this volume of over 200 different legends. Even this Madman's fan favorite Fred Hembeck illustrates a yarn about a car enthusiast and his jealous wife.  
      The Big Book of Urban Legends was a fun read. The only problem I have with it is that I didn't wait until closer to Halloween to read it and October just seems to me to be the perfect time to read urban legends and myths. But let's be honest folks, stories like the Vanishing Hitchhiker in which someone picks up a lonely girl on the side of a road only to learn she died years earlier, are NOT urban legends. Those are ghost stories and they deserved their own Big Book. But hey, it's still fun to read and maybe get a little freaked out.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
   

Fred Hembeck Sells the Marvel Universe #1

After the success of Hembeck Destroys the Marvel Universe it was a no-brainer that a sequel would be forth coming. Sadly, Marvel dropped the ball on this- sorta.

This comic isn’t comprised of all-new material. It’s a treasury of so of Hembeck’s work from Marvel Age. Why Marvel wouldn’t allow Hembeck to create another original story like in Destroys is beyond me. That’s why I think there’s never been a third book to round out a trilogy.

There is one short story about Hembeck and the obscure Marvel Horror character- Brother Voodoo and that’s it! Apparently, Brother Voodoo is the butt to a lot of Hembeck’s jokes but it really isn’t that characters fault. In an article at the end of the comic by Hembeck, he admits that he got Brother Voodoo confused with another character- Brother Power, the Geek, a sort of hippy Frankenstein monster that’s not really bright. I guess it’s understandable as both characters have ‘Brother’ in their name. But Brother Power was a DC character!

Usually, I get really ticked if I buy a comic and I don’t know that it’s just a bunch of reprints. However, since I have no intention of ever collecting a run of Marvel Age books, I’ll forgive it this one time. The cartoons were really funny although some punch-lines got stale (see Brother Voodoo.) The funniest cartoons were Cyclops’ x-traordinary answers to everything and a call-in show in which callers keep getting Quasar confused with Nova. The lamest cartoons were, well, I told you to see Brother Voodoo, right?

Worth Consuming and you should be able to find this in a bargain bin. You’ll just have to look really hard, like I did.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Fred Hembeck Destroys the Marvel Universe #1

  This book came out in 1989 and I wasn’t sure what to make of it. As a kid, one of the highlights of collecting Marvel Comics were the awesome Fred Hembeck cartoons that would occasionally be sprinkled in select issues. He also had a rotating segment in Marvel Age: the official Marvel magazine that was pretty funny. But some of his humor was contained of inside jokes that unless you were older and really knew about the goings on of the comics industry, you wouldn’t understand.

 I found this book recently in a bargain bin and since it was cheap and I remember owning it as a kid, I decided to make it a part of my collection again.

  In this one-shot, Hembeck crafts a tale in which Death is tasked with killing off all of the characters of the Marvel Universe in one day. Nobody is safe from Hembeck’s poison pen. Lawn work becomes Ant-Man’s biggest nightmare while Asgard succumbs to the metal sounds of Ragnorok & Roll music. Daredevil learns the difference between a sigh and a sai while the X-Men face their most dangerous foes ever- Ninja Sentinels!

  The book is absurd but it’s really fun. The art is classic Fred Hembeck- cartoony and I suspect with everyone’s bulbous eyes and oval heads, an influence on Matt Groening’s Simpsons. As the cover says, this romp is a ‘Marvel Massacre’ but I didn’t feel that my time, money, or intelligence was victims to Hembeck’s skewed view of the Marvel Universe.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.