Even More Fund Comics

If you ever wanted a primer to Indy comics, creators and artists for the early 2000s, this is it! Dozens upon dozens of comic book talent came together to make this 2004 anthology benefiting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Batton Lash's lawyers of Supernatural Law, The Cryptozoo Crew from Jerry Carr and Allan Gross, Mark McKenna's Banana Tail are just a few of the properties I've read and reviewed before. It was a lot of fun to get an all-new revisit to these characters that might not have gotten their due respect. 

There's also a slew of well known artists who contributed to the sketch book section of this book. Steve Rude, George Perez and Al Milgrom, along with Jim Lee, who drew to the Spider-Man/Green Goblin cover all make small donations of their time and God given gifts in this book. I'm thinking heavy hitters Marvel and DC weren't willing to let their superstars provide more than a single work of art least it interferes with their bottom line. But at least they were allowed to support the CBLDF!

There's at least one other volume out there similar to this. More Fund Comics, also by Sky Dog, benefits my favorite comic book charity. I'd assume with the title that there'd be a 'Fund Comics' out there too. Only, I can't find evidence of it. I'd like to read MFC. But if it's like this book, I'd probably sell it for something I really want. Thus, the first primer is something I will keep an eye out for but I'm not going to add it to my wish list.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

Wonder Woman Annual 1989 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

With exception of the cover, this 1989 annual features artwork, including inks and colors by an all-female crew. Cover artist George Perez also pens this extra-large sized feature that chronicles Princess Diana's Post-Crisis debut. 

When the princess of Thermyscira first arrived in the world of men, she didn't speak much English and knew even less of modern day ways and norms. So, Diana needed an intermediary in order to spread her message of peace and unity. Enter Myndi Mayer; a press agent who sees dollars signs in the arrival of the DC Universe's newest heroine. A progressive feminist, Mayer believed in Princess Diana's message. That didn't mean that there weren't marketing opportunities to be found around this Wonder Woman.

This story takes place after the shocking overdose death of Myndi Mayer. The PR agent's death means that end of a chapter in Wonder Woman's life. Diana has decided that the life of a celebrity is not for her. So Mayer's agency must pack up all of the artifacts and effects of the Wonder Woman campaign so that Diana can transport it back to Thermyscira for preservation. As the team goes through these mementos, they reminisce about the highs and lows of Princess Diana's first months in modern civilization. 

This annual was both a closing chapter for established Wonder Woman readers as well as a starting point for newer fans. Along with the death of Myndi, Diana had just finished a climatic battle with Circe as well as Ares. But as we know, Wonder Woman's beef with the god of war is never over. The War of the Gods epic crossover is still 2 years away. But in this new stage in Diana's life, more battles with the upper echelon of Greek gods and continued alliances with the superhero community are in Diana's near future.

Perhaps the most notable segment of this story is the origin behind the logo that Diana wears on her chest. Just like as with Superman's S-shield, the supposed W's on Diana's armor are misinterpreted as English letters.  Kal-El's S-Shield is the Kyrptonian symbol of hope. Diana's double-W's are in honor of a great warrior who helped the Amazons of Themyscira centuries ago: the insignia of Steve Trevor's mother!

Due to the death of Hermes' son Pan, a rift in the fabric of time and reality opens. This anomaly ushers Diana Trevor back in time to Themyscira. The time displaced pilot arrives on the tropical island in the middle of a catastrophic scene as the Amazons are attempting to prevent demons from the underworld coming topside. 

We learn that Diana Trevor sacrificed herself to aid a race of people she did not even know. The Amazons as a result, bury Trevor with full honors and use the Air Corps insignia of a double-W on Trevor's uniform and incorporate it as a totem of strength and courage, which Princess Diana proudly wears. But we also learn that Diana wasn't named after the goddess of Greek myth but instead after Diana Trevor. So that means Steve Trevor is in love with the woman named after his mother!

Featuring Ramona Fradon, Jan Duursema, Colleen Doran and Trina Robbins among others.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars. 

Completing this review completes Task #32 (A Wonder Woman Story) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Farewell, George Perez

A lot of icons from my youth seem to be passing away with frequent expedience it seems lately. Just last week, the great Neal Adams passed away. I got to meet him at a con a couple of years ago. Despite having read a very large amount of the stuff Adams did over the years, the only thing I had for him to sign was a reprint of one of his Green Lantern/Green Arrow books. I was so embarrassed when I approached him with the issue thinking he'd be mad not coming to him with the real thing. But he couldn't have been nicer.

Well, today, I saw the news on Facebook that another beloved comic book creator from my youth passed away last night, George Perez. I knew that George's time on Earth wasn't for long. Just a few short months ago, he announced having stage IV pancreatic cancer. So, I had some time to prepare for this. I just wasn't prepared for that time to be today.

The resume of George Perez isn't just a Who's Who of comic book characters. It's more of an Who Aint'? Because he's done them all. The Avengers. Justice League of America. The New Teen Titans. The X-Men. He's also responsible for the artwork of my all-time favorite comic book story- Crisis on Infinite Earths. And that's where I want to pay tribute to George Perez.

It was father's day weekend, 2007. Charlotte, NC at HeroesCon. It was the first comic book convention I went to as a married man and the first Con I had been to in probably a decade. My best friend Todd and his wife met with my wife and I there. And at times, we'd go off while the wives sat and talked. 

I saw that George Perez was one of the guests and I always wanted to confront him about doing the unthinkable: killing my beloved Supergirl off in the pages of CRISIS #7. Since at the time I didn't have any of the number of comics that I have now, I needed to find a copy of CRISIS so I could get it signed by Perez. I seriously thought about buying a copy of #7. But in all honesty, my favorite cover was that of CRISIS #5 in which there are about probably 50 portraits of many of the major players on the cover. And I just loved how Perez drew faces. 

So I buy my copy, march over to his booth and I see that he's doing special signings for a donation to ACTOR, now known as the Hero Initiative. It's a charity for providing healthcare, housing and other needs for those who worked in the comic book industry but made next to nothing from their work. 

At the moment, I arrived, George was working on something that was going to be auctioned off later for the charity. I told him that I wanted him to sign my issue of CRISIS with the admission that he had killed Supergirl on it. George and his handler told me that he would do it if I came back at 2pm. So I made sure to pledge $30 as a donation if he'll do it. He agreed and I went back to enjoying the Con.

Well at 1:55, an announcement went over the intercom that Mr. Perez was too busy with commissions that he had to cancel the signing. I looked at my wife heartbroken thinking I missed my chance. My wife on the other hand figured since he made a promise to us, maybe he'll follow through. It couldn't hurt to try. So we raced over to try.

George's handler must have seen me coming cause she tried to shoo me away. But I had mentioned that I still intended to donate to the cause if he would just sign it. George put down his ink pen and gracious said '30 bucks, right?' I upped it to $40. He smiled and told me that I had a deal. At this point, my friend Todd came up and for 15 minutes we were the center of George Perez's attention. He talked about how hard a decision it was for them to kill Supergirl. But since the DC universe was being reset, they could always bring her back. We talked about Teen Titans since that was Todd's favorite. At one point, for some reason, Todd had mentioned Roy Thomas and George pointed behind us and said 'Well, there he is. Tell him I told you to sign your program."Which Roy did!

Anyways, for 15 minutes, I got to hang out with George Perez and I've never forgotten the experience. I talk about it often and fondly. I show my issue off with joy as not only did George Perez confess to the murder, he drew a sketch of the S-shield on the cover as well. So I actually own an original sketch from Perez as well.

I think one thing about that meeting means so much to me was that I got to do it with my best friend. Sadly, Todd lost his battle with mental illness over a decade ago. God, I still miss him. Now, I will be missing George Perez as well. 

Rest in Peace Todd and George and Neal...

Essential Fantastic Four, Vol. 8

There's about 30 issues reprinted in this volume. The main theme seems to be alternate Earths. An alien warlord seeks to destroy 3 worlds and 3 versions of the FF, in order to become the ultimate power in all existence. Then the High Evolutionary seeks help on his counter-earth from the threat of Galactus. Though the planet killer has a vow not to eat our earth, he's got no qualms devouring that other world. 

Lastly we have a mystery villain. I don't want to give up too much. But it explains questions I've had since I was a child attempting to read and collect FF issues. 

Throw in the Frightful, uh- Three, a time travelling caper with the Invaders and the Liberty Legion, and help from the Impossible Man, Tigra and Thundra and it appears that the Baxter Building is getting more crowded than a Peter Davison TARDIS. 

The 70s are by far my favorite Fantastic Four time period. This series is chop full of wild tales by Roy Thomas with art by a host of greats. The biggest treat are the George Perez penned issues. And in true Marvel Bullpen fashion, there's a delightfully meta story involving many of your favorite Marvel talent!

Oddly enough, there's absolutely no Doctor Doom in this collection! That's actually kinda refreshing!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Infinity Gauntlet

I'm not sure why it took me this long to read The Infinity Gauntlet. 

Well, maybe I do. I know that I am going to rile up some feathers with this opinion but I am just not that big a fan of Jim Starlin. Starlin is known for his cosmic odysseys and let's face it when it comes to some of his favorite characters, in this case Adam Warlock and Thanos, I am just not that interested in either. 

When I was very young, Thanos was a second rate villain who flew a yellow helicopter and once was arrested by Spidey and the NYPD. As for Adam Warlock, his origin was so mired in confusion; all in thanks to writers not really caring much about the character in the first place. There was so many contradictions in how Warlock came to be and what his purpose was that I gave up caring. 

That all being said, I will commend what Jim Starlin attempted (and pretty much succeeded in) to make this pair of cosmic foes relevant for the Marvel Universe.

Many consider Secret Wars to be Marvel's answer to Crisis on Infinite Earths. After reading this, I would have to disagree. I think Secret Wars I and II were the mini-crises that the Justice League and Justice Society would have annually in the pages of Justice League of America. It's actually The Infinity Gauntlet that would be Marvel's CRISIS. 

Infinity Gauntlet starts out beautifully. George Perez, one of my favorite artists and an all-around hell of a nice guy, covered the artwork for the first 3 and a half issues. But the pressures of completing this mega crossover along with DC's War of the Amazons at the very same time kinda burned Perez out. So much, that he quit the big-two for lower level penciling duties for many years in order to recover. 

What Starlin and Perez do in those few issues is mind boggling. The level of destruction and chaos brought about by Thanos' snap are some of the most impressive pages of destruction and choas I have ever seen in comics. But Starlin does not do enough. 

In this book, he's got both the Kree and Skrull ready to go to war. But he never follows through. Instead, Jim Starlin's sweeping focus on the entire Marvel Universe gets narrowed down to maybe a dozen players by the last 2 issues. 

Another thing that Starlin doesn't do right is properly set-up Adam Warlock's rebirth on Earth. It took me several re-reads before I figured out that he doesn't kill a liquor store clerk. But instead, Adam Warlock uses the recently dead body of the murderer to return to life. That just seemed so out of character for the generally peace loving Warlock and it was. But Jim Starlin didn't do a good enough job making that notion clear. 

I did love the final 5 or so pages of Infinity Gauntlet. It was rather perfect and ties into 2018's Avengers: Inifinity War quite well. (Actually, I am amazed at a lot of similarities between this miniseries and that film. It's a same that Marvel Studios weren't able to get the rights to Adam Warlock or the Silver Surfer hashed out in order to be in the movie.)

Infinity Gauntlet is one of the best Marvel epic crossovers. But it could have been the greatest if not for the writer losing focus. The main artist leaving didn't help matters either. Ron Lim is a talented artist. But he's no George Perez. 

A good read. But it didn't do enough for me to feel like I've got to rush out and procure the second and third acts of The Infinity Trilogy. (Not like I can just rush out right now thanks to COVID. But I think you get what I mean.)

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Essential Marvel Two-In-One, Volume 3

The team-up adventures of the Fantastic Four's Blue-Eyed Benjamin Grimm continue in the pages of Essential Marvel Two-In-One, Volume 3. 

This book begins with a massive story about The Thing becoming a security adviser at Project Pegasus. The Marvel equivalent of Project Cadmus, The Thing teams with a number of superheroes such as Quasar and Goliath as an odd assortment of villains try to break in and out of the research center.

After his tenure at Pegasus is complete, Grimm teams with an assortment of characters from the Marvel Universe including the Avengers, the Howling Commandos, and the original Guardians of the Galaxy. That last crossover will result in a strain in the relationship of the Thing and his gal pal Alicia Masters. Thus, the last third of the book gets a little sappy. 

Featuring Tom DeFalco, Chris Claremont, John Byrne, George Perez, and many more from the Marvel Bullpen, this was an great collection of issues from the late 70s rolling into the early 80s despite the corny lost love angle. Fans should really study the Claremont and Byrne issues as they highlight the gelling partnership between the duo that would most redefine the X-Men to become the most popular superhero group for a generation. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars. 

Phantom of Fear City #10

Every 10 years, a pirate's ghost is given a chance to escape purgatory and cross over to the other side. His task is to make a living woman fall in love with him. Having been rejected by his latest best chance of salvation, the so-called Phantom of Fear City counts down his final hours of freedom before having to spend another decade in limbo. So when the former object of his affection finally realized she does in fact love the Phantom, can she reunite with him before his time runs out?

From 1993, I found this book in a grab bag and thought from the cover scene of a seance, this would make a great Halloween read. Written by Steve Englehart (Captain America), if you were to base this series on just my description, you'd think it's just a soap opera love story. And there's elements of that. But there's so much great stuff going on in the background, along with tie-ins to a couple of other series that ran alongside this title back in 1993.

I would have to say that this book was a lot like Dark Shadows of which I am a fan. Yes, it's a little sappy, but the supernatural elements of Fear City have won me over to finding not only the rest of this 12-issue miniseries but the other companion titles that I saw advertised in this comic- Soulsearchers and Company and Deadbeats.

I have never heard of Claypool Comics before. But somehow they were able to snag Englehart along with George Perez (Crisis on Infinite Earths) on covers and Amanda Conner (Harley Quinn) on a backup story starring the Soulsearchers; a group of ghost hunters who are the world's worst Ghostbusters! Impressive, I must say.

A very good introduction to a whole universe of stories that I hope to come across in my comic book searches sometime in the near future.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Teen Titans #4

(1996-1998) DC Comics. Story by Dan Jurgens. Art by George Perez

Argent, Risk, Joto, Prysm, and the Raymond Palmer Atom. Everybody remembers this classic Teen Titans lineup, right? A mysterious benefactor hopes that will be the case unless a member from the original team has anything to say about it.

The duo of Dan Jurgens and George Perez are really onto something with this version of the Teen Titans. The story is quite good, even for having zero 'action.' I do think the Titans training room seems to have been stripped from the X-Men Mansion. But for the most part, this story was fresh and Perez's art is excellent!

I got this out of a grab bag. I'm not sure if I want to collect the whole series just yet. Heck, I'm not even familiar with this incarnation of the team. But this series does warrant further review. I’m holding on to this issue for now.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract

 
   With the animated version of the Judas Contract recently coming out on DVD, I wanted to read the original source material before I gave the film a view. I just happened to be sitting on a vintage copy of the complete story and so I gave it a read (Note: my review of The New Teen Titans: Terra Incognito comes before this volume.)
     The Titans have recently added a new member to their ranks for the first time since reforming. But it's their downfall, as newcomer Terra, is actually in league with their arch-enemy, the deadly Deathstroke the Terminator. But before the teens can come to blows with the combined forces of Deathstroke, Terra, and HIVE, they must taken on the equally lethal Brother Blood who just happens to have brainwashed one of the Titans into becoming his newest follower.
      An exciting collection that introduces the character Jericho to the mix along with revealing Dick Grayson's metamorphosis from Robin into Nightwing, and the secret origin of Slade Wilson. Plus, more hints about the forthcoming Crisis on Infinite Earths are contained within. Masterful stories by Marv Wolfman with just as equally amazing artwork by George Perez.
       A true classic that is a must have for fans of Crisis, the Teen Titans, or just darn fine comic books.

    Worth Consuming!

    Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The New Teen Titans: Terra Incognito

     
     The Teen Titans have just accepted their first new member since this incarnation's formation. Her name is Terra and with the ability to manipulate earth and soil, she's like a muddier version of Magneto. Claiming to have been a member of the Markovian Royal Family and recently escaped her kidnappers, elements of her story don't add up. Can Terra be trusted or is she a wolf in sheep's clothing?
       Meanwhile Dick Grayson is struggling to maintain balance as the Titans' leader, Robin, as well as being Batman's sidekick, and as a college student. Trying to become his own man, Dick's relationship with fellow teammate Starfire is in serious jeopardy as well. Adding to his problems is an Assistant District attorney named Adrian Chase, who's quest for justice against a mob boss who keeps skirting jail time, may send the Boy Wonder down a rabbit hole of bent rules and lawless vigilantism to which there is no return.
       The New Teen Titans by the legendary team of Marv Wolfman and George Perez were DC's answer to the revitalized X-Men. Those merry mutants from Marvel were a great read, but unless you had a chart to assist you, it was really hard trying to keep up with the endless characters and soap opera style story-lines that writer Chris Claremont weaved throughout a number of titles. Titans seems to have that same soapy feel as X-Men, and there are quite a bit of players all over the place- but it's of a lesser (and easier to follow) extent.
      Recently, I've been trying to clear my bookcases of things that I amassed but wasn't 100% sure if after I did, that I'd want to keep it. This volume was from my best friend's collection I inherited a couple of years ago. He was a huge Teen Titans fan and I had held on to it because of that. 
    So, what's the verdict?
    I'm hooked. I want the other volumes! This was a tremendously fun read and I want to know what happened before this storyline and I definitely have to know what happened afterwards. 
    Plus, if you collect the short-lived 80s series Vigilante like I do, then you will want this volume as it details the character's origin are covered in great detail. 
     There might even be some backstory to the Crisis on Infinite Earths lurking around a few corners in this awesome collection.
     A true classic made by some of the masters of the comic book industry.

    Worth Consuming

     Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Flashpoint: Secret Seven #2

   Shade, the Changing Man recruits another wayward member of the Secret Seven. This time, it's Amethyst, hero of the Gemworld, that has been magically summoned. Only now she's a 12-year old girl trapped in a 20-something's body and she's wary of the good intentions of Shade. She's even more distrustful of Shade's new mistress, the formerly evil (or so she says) Enchantress!

    Meanwhile, another former member of the Secret Seven has decided to expose the rest of the team to the world. Only, there's one little problem- the magician calling for a press conference, Abra Kadabra, has never been a member of the Secret Seven before. What sinister plan does he have up his sleeve and how do sorceresses Zatanna and Raven fit into this all-encompassing mystery?

   I'm still not 100% sold on this Flashpoint tie-in. This issue was way better than the premier issue. But things are so convoluted with mystery and with new players being added to the mix at a frantic pace, that I'm not convinced that series creator Peter Milligan (2000 A.D.) can wrap this up in the 20 or so pages of issue #3. 

    I love the artwork in this series, however. It's by one of my all-time favs, George Perez (Wonder Woman). The drawings are clean, it's classic and every panel adds that touch of whimsy that all of DC's magic related titles should have.
  
   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Legends of the DC Universe 80-Page Giant #1

The 80-page giant-sized comic- that was a thing of beauty and sheer joy! A 100-page comic was even better but regardless, when you got one of these you knew you were in for a treat. They were affordable anywhere from a buck to $1.25. You’d always get at least 4 stories, maybe more per issue. One or two stories would star a A-lister superhero (like Superman or Batman), one tale would be from a middle-tier character (maybe Green Arrow or Aquaman) and another tale would be from a more obscure character that was pretty weird but a cult favorite (like Metamorpho or Deadman.) I absolutely loved them and you usually could find these in bargain bins for dirt cheap.Since Legends of the DC Universe is trying to evoke some of the nostalgia with these untold tales of the DC superhero elite, it seemed natural that their first special would be a Giant. If you read the letters page in issue 3, the editors revealed that they had tons of responses for characters that fans wanted to see highlighted. Some were perfect for a multi-story arc while some just were A-list material to carry this series all by their lonesome. So, this special was created to give the people what they wanted without sending LOTDCU into the economic crapper.

The premise follows a time-travelling hero called Chronos. I am pretty sure, he’s not the yellow and green masked arch-villain of the Atom but I am not sure. A mysterious time-travelling alien approaches Chronos in hopes of keeping him from robbing a sacred tomb. To try to dissuade Chronos into doing the right thing and not sell the tomb’s artifacts to Vandal Savage, the pair goes through-out time and space viewing the adventures of some of the most classic DC characters around.

With Chronos, prepare to see the Spectre ease the conscious of a guilt-ridden survivor of the Titanic, thrill with Adam Strange as he teleports from earth to across the stars to save the planet Rann. Learn the secrets of Hawkman and Hawkgirl’s ability to speak with birds while discovering how Rip Hunter keeps surviving his dangerous trips through time. Lastly, grieve with Beast Boy over the loss of his teammates, the Doom Patrol while you experience the first ‘unofficial’ team-up of the New Teen Titans.

This issue is a who’s who of talent, including Steve Ditko, Dave Gibbons, Joe Kubert, and  Marv Wolfman, and George Perez. It’s loaded with some of the greats.

I really enjoyed this special. It’s a shame that DC didn’t make more of these but there’s always nostalgic comic collectors and hope. So, who knows, maybe it will come back again.

Oh, and the revelation as to who Chronos’ mystery traveler is- brilliant. Just absolutely bloody brilliant and it was the icing on the cake!

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Two Collections Becoming One...

My wife is my best friend. I often joke that Star Wars is my best friend as I was born the same year as the first movie and I spent my whole life playing, watching, reading, and collecting it.
  But aside from my wife, my best friend was Todd. he died about 3 years ago. I don't remember the exact date, but I remember the day we got the phone call from his wife that he was gone. I'll never forget helping make funeral arrangements that day.
  Well, today was the first time in about 2 years since my wife and I got to spend some time with Todd's wife, Tammy. We had lunch today and met her new husband. He's a really cool guy and it wasn't hard getting to know.
   I'm usually very shy meeting someone new. But, once I've gathered the courage- WATCH OUT! It's like when Todd and I first meet. It took 45 minutes for our wives trying to get each other attention and to open up. Then a commercial came on that changed everything. It was for Superman Returns and we both expressed a desire to see the film at about the same time. I asked if he collected comics and he said yes. Todd asked if I collected. I told him not anymore, but I read them all the time at my local library. That go a friendship started.
   Todd was who got me into collecting again. I had been wanting to for so long, but wasn't sure if my wife would be up to my new interest. However, I think my wife saw that I was forming a friendship with another guy and she gave it her okay. The next thing I know, we're at HeroesCon in Charlotte as a pair of couples and while Tammy and my wife saw in a corner and talked, Todd and I went exploring. I still remember meeting George Perez and getting him to sign a issue of Crisis proclaiming "I killed Supergirl, Confessionally. (sic)" and he added a sketch of her insignia. The three of us spent 30 minutes talking. It was the beginning of my vast collection.
   Well, today, I received something I never in a 1,000 years expected. After years of struggling to figure out what to do with it, Tammy gave me Todd's collection. She said that I should have it because I would treat it as precious and that Todd would be happy knowing it went to someone he cared about.
  I now have an entire station wagon full of comics and graphic novels. It's going to take weeks and months to go through everything. I need to figure out doubles, decide if those extras are something I can donate to the kids at my wife's clinic. Then with the remainder, I have to bag them, process them, and then add them to my collection. I also need to buy a bunch of supplies.
   It's going to be a lot of work. But it's also going to be lots of fun.
   However, I'd trade that entire collection to have my friend back.
  Todd, Thank you- this post it for you!

Marvel Fanfare #10

 

The legendary George Perez pencils a really good 3-part Black Widow tale. (It was later stretched into 4 chapters.) When her former mentor and chauffeur is kidnapped, almost everybody in SHIELD thinks that the red-headed assassin is perfect for the job, ‘cept Nick Fury. Essentially part one is a retelling of her original and meant to bring the reader up to date on Widow as well as convince Fury to give her the assignment. The only bad part about this story is that Perez doesn’t ink every page and so some of his work isn’t as striking as the rest.

Then in the continuing Jungle Book Wolf Boy series, Mowgli is told a fable as to why tigers have stripes and why they are natural predators of humans and yet afraid of them as well. It’s an okay tale, but doesn’t have the syntax quality of the previous Mowgli stories.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.