Bizarro World (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Bizarro World is a loose sequel to 2001's Bizarro Comics. Whereas the earlier book was a collection of vignettes and previously cancelled material from some of the industry's top Indy talent, book-ended by a story in which Mr. Mxyzptlk is aided by Bizarro to save his 5th dimension home from an alien invader, the later work was a strict anthology in every sense of the word.

Featuring the talents of the Hernandez Brothers, Evan Dorkin, Raina Telgemeier and a host of others, 2005's Bizarro World pales in comparison to it's processor with one major deviation: Christmas stories! 

Andy Merrill and Roger Langridge's 'Jing Kal-El' is an oddball Elseworld in which we see what would have happened to the Last Son of Krypton if his rocket ship had crash landed into Santa's work shop at the North Pole. In 'Batman Smells', actor-comedian Patton Oswalt reveals the origins to the alternate lyrics of Jingle Bells. Artist Bob Fingerman takes viewers on a tour through Gotham City sewers and the Batcave in order to discover the answer. A couple of other stories have scenes that take place in otherwise non-holiday themed tales. But it adds to the unexpected merriment of an otherwise lacking anthology.

For being a graphic novel named after the Superman Family character, Bizarro is noticeably absent from a majority of this book. He does appear in the title story by Chris Duffy and Scott Morse, explaining that 'Bizarro World' is a DC Comics themed amusement park designed from a Bizarro point of view. However, the real Bizarro #1 is a closeted intellectual who milks his backwards persona for profit. Only those riches come at the cost of the anti-villain's dignity. A Harvey Pekar penned farce also stars Bizarro bringing the total number of appearances to 2. 

Not counting the cover by Jaime Hernandez. Batman is the winner of most starring roles in this book with a grand total of 8! The Legion of Super-heroes comes in third with a trio of appearances.

While a very Batman heavy book, just about every character in the DC Universe appears in this book, if only for just a 'Wheres Waldo?' type-cameo as part of the background scenery of a panel. Supergirl, The Spectre and Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth are among the characters who star in this collection of over 2 dozen short stories that look at DC Comics with an askew view.

Completing this review completes Task #12 (An Anthology) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened

   A really cool anthology concept: you take some of the hottest indy talents around, give them an old-timey postcard, and have them craft a story based on the piece of mail. Editor and writer 

Jason Rodriguez is an amateur deltiologist (he collects postcards.) Taking from his personal collection, he assigned some of his peers to create stories that might be true but aren't necessarily. 
  
  Some of the stories are based solely on the image on the front of the postcard. Some epics involved only the shorts messages scribed on the back and a couple is a combination of both front image locale and on-the-back greeting. 

    Accepting Rodrigeuz's challenge include Michael Gaydos, Stuart Moore, Phillip Hester, and underground comix legend, Harvey Pekar. There's a real mix of themes and emotions in these stories. Some are quite beautiful while others are downright tragic. There's high drama in just about every tale. Yet, I don't recall laughing once, as none of these not-so-true stories are what you would consider comedies. Even the Pekar story which is based on how he meet his wife via postcard correspondence is twinged with sadness. And to my chagrin, more than one story ends with that blasted pet peeve of mine- the open-ended ending!

   If you are looking for a smile, you won't find them in this book. Yet, despite the sadness that colors every story, there's something that just made me keep turning the page wanting to know what happens next. With some explicit language and adult themes, this is not a book for kids. But this is duly worth a read if you can find this 2007 collection published by Villard.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.