Stray

There's been more than a fair share of great comic book titles being unceremoniously cancelled, scraped or plain up never getting past the planning stage. This 2001 deluxe format comic by Scott Lobdell and Jimmy Palmiotti might just rank among those titles.

Stray is the story of an aspiring actress whose life turns upside down the day she gets fired from her waitressing gig. We all know that adopting a stray dog on the day you get canned isn't exactly the wisest financial decision to make. But that's exactly what Catherine 'Cat' Denton does. Call her a softie.

Unknown to Cat is at that exact moment an alien life-form named Acturex is hurtling to planet Earth to stop a hidden menace seeking to conquer our planet. Acturex's plain is to merge into the body of Garrick, Cat's downstairs neighbor who's a prime specimen of strength, endurance and good looks. However, a slight miscalculation causes Acturex to merge into the body of the stray living with Cat. And there's no way for the alien to find a new host until his mission is complete.

Using her acting skills and various costume changes, Cat Denton now goes on casting calls by day and secretly saves the Earth from alien invasion at night with the help of Rex, her super-powered and psychically linked pooch!

I couldn't tell you where I got this book. I've had it for awhile. Probably came from a grab bag. Having an adorable animal as a main character, I still didn't take any chances before I read this book. Having been burnt before by the shocking and gruesome death of the dog in issue #1 of The Weather Man, I made sure that no animals were harmed or killed in the completion of this comic. Once I broke one of LaVar Burton's cardinal rules of book consumption from Reading Rainbow, I dug into the book and was pleasantly surprised. 

The art looked a little bit off. I at first thought it was computer generated. Once I realized that Dustin Nguyen was behind the inking of Adam Polina's artwork, I knew that this wasn't funky CGI material; this was year 3000 illustrations! My puny human brain just wasn't able to comprehend the evolution of the artistic talent behind Stray.

I don't think the advanced penciling for this story was what has prevented there from ever being another story about Cat and Rex. Its been 23 years with bupkis. Though Stray was a joint DC/Wild storm production, the book itself was published by Homage Comics. I don't know about you, but I've never heard of this venture before(I think). A quick Google search reveals that they were the driving force behind Astro City and Leave It To Chance before Wildstorm quickly absorbed these Indy classics. 

You go to the Homage Comics page on the DC Wiki and Stray isn't even listed as one of their publications. So I think this book might be all we get. Barring some miracle revival. Until then, if you ever come across this book in a bargain bin at your favorite LCS or a Con, you really should consider picking it up. It's a quirky, quick read that oozes heart and creativity. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters

Spinning off from the Infinite Crisis 'Battle for Bludhaven' storyline, this 2017 miniseries reboots the original residents of Earth-10, Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters. In this retooled DC Universe, Uncle Sam gathered a group of heroes to battle Hitler and his Axis forces during World War II. With the war won for the Allies, the team disbanded and Uncle Sam disappeared. 

Jump ahead to a post-9/11 world. The government has literally become Big Brother thanks to the launch of OMAC. Superheroes have become vigilantes, what with Wonder Woman's killing of Maxwell Lord and Black Adam's new leadership role in Kahndaq. A shadow agency orders Uncle Sam found and brought in. The symbol of American freedom has been declared a domestic terrorist and public enemy #1. 

Okay- here's problem #1. Uncle Sam was murdered during the Infinite Crisis. When did he come back? And if he's really dead, why do these government spooks think he's behind all of this?

Obviously, Uncle Sam is alive and in hiding. But no word as to if he really died or faked his own death or what...

Right away, Uncle Sam knows who is behind his apprehension. But he'll need proof in order to sway the public to his side. One-by-one, Uncle Sam recruits the legacies of the original Freedom Fighters, many of which reflect the wrongs and injustices that stain the legacy of the United States. There's a gay hero. Someone from a Native American tribe. Even a couple of women. But no Asian or African Americans make up this new team. It doesn't seem very diverse. But hopefully with this slice of Americana behind Uncle Sam, albeit an incomplete slice, he'll be able to redeem his beloved country before outside forces infiltrating the American government bring the US of A down to it's knees permanently. 

I hated this book. Not because of wokeness or anything like that. It was just a jumbled mess. I think both Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti loved the source material, the Freedom Fighters of the 1970s and 80s. But they tried too hard to make things relevant. Thus, the plot got lost in this checklist of things the creative pair tried to mark off. The real villains behind this coup against the American government is a group of baddies that I am a really big fan of. And yet, they are so poorly used in this. If some old Nazi villain would have been the man behind the curtains, it might have saved the story. Not by much. But a defeated Nazi looking for revenge would have been more plausible than who was really lurking in the shadows. 

One thing that does redeem the book is the art. Daniel Acuna's pencils and inks are just divine. Imagine the paints and use of light of Alex Ross married with the inks and framework of the Allreds. That's how good this art is. 

I just hate that the story is far less superior. 

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Wolverine & The Black Cat: Claws

Man is supposed to be the most deadly game there is to hunt. If that's true, then what do you call it when the prey is no other than the mutant Wolverine? The X-Man finds himself on a deserted island and locked in a cage. It seems that Arcade, the wonder-kind behind such deadly projects as Murderworld, has arranged it so that a bunch of rich jerks can go on the hunt of a lifetime.

Added to the mix is Felicia Hardy- AKA The Black Cat. How she got mixed up in the mess is beyond her comprehension. And don't bother asking Wolverine about this. He doesn't even know who Felicia Hardy is. 

One is a gruff Canadian cigar chomping beer-swigging mutant. The other is a socialite thief with the ability to change a probability field to her odds and a taste for champagne. Despite the fact that Wolverine and Black Cat are one of the most unlikely pairs to ever team-up in the Marvel Universe, there's one thing linking the both of them: they're both mad as hell at this deadly situation and ready for payback! Oh! And they both have claws! Sharp claws ready to draw the first blood!

Jimmy Palmiotti (Harley Quinn/Gossamer Special) crafts a fun read full of action, adventure and mischief. Arcade is at his murderous best. Though, I really liked the inclusion of his girlfriend. There's a real Harley Quinn quality to her and they play off each other with such a banter of the likes of Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn or Hepburn and Cary Grant! 

(Oooh! Oooh! I just had a thought. Wouldn't a team-up of Arcade and The Riddler be rich?! I'd play good money for such!)

The artwork is by Joseph Michael Linsner (Red Sonja). His illustrations of the Black Cat and Arcade's gal pal are ultra sultry. But the way he's drawn Wolverine is kinda feral. But not like a wild animal. More like a furry kitten. I'm sorry but Felicia Hardy's face looks more deadly and dangerous than that of Logan's. At least Arcade and the murderous 'proud boys' look pretty dastardly.

Too bad that they never made a sequel to this Marvel Knights tale! WAITAMINUTE!!!! They made a sequel!?! That's immediately going on my wishlist!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Harley Quinn 25th Anniversary Special #1

Have you ever found a book and you know that you've read it but you got zero clue how you wound  up with it? That's the case with this book.  

I'm a huge fan of Harley Quinn and I am an original fan. September 11th, 1992: I was watching Batman: The Animated Series expecting a typical Joker episode of the show, when this pixie pops up on screen for just a few short minutes. At that point, the Batman Family forever changed and I became one of the first members of the Gang of Harleys.

All that being said, I really can't remember when I bought this book!!!

In this tribute to the Jokers (EX-) Girlfriend, Harley has a host of adventures. First, she takes the Gotham City Sirens to Sin City and parties in a way only Harls and her girls could. Then BFFs Harley and Ivy are tasked with an important mission by the master of the Green, Swamp Thing! We also get a glimpse of Harley's days are Joker's side piece as she faces celebrating her birthday along. Lastly, it's a battle of sidekicks as Harley takes on Robin in a story that reflects her inner struggle to be a baddie with a heart. 

This was a wonderful collection of stories celebrating one of my all-time favorite looneys. I am a huge fan of crazy characters from The Tick to Deadpool and everything in between. I think it's because I struggle with depression and anxiety; sometimes at the same time. When I see heroic characters dealing with mental health issues, I think it normalizes an otherwise very abnormal life. Harley Quinn is definitely one of those characters that has given me both a lot of laughs and a lot to reflect on.

Many thanks to character creator, Paul Dini for giving us Harls! Kudos to Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner for the amazing job they've done over the past several years with her! 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars!

Kid Death & Fluffy Halloween Special #1

I am in no way familiar with the main character of Kid Death. He's a boy of 12 or so. He looks a lot like Sylvester P. Smythe, the janitor mascot of the long defunct Cracked Magazine. And he likes to kill and maim! Kid Death also has a pet dog named Fluffy. The dog is also quite ripe; having been dead for some time. And he's got a very dumb and very busty sister named Bubbles.

Everything I just described was what I gleamed from reading this Halloween special. My God, what have I read???

The story of this issue is as follows... Kid Death has to go to a Halloween party with his sister. It's being held the funeral home that a friend of Kid Death's sister's family owns. At the local funeral home, business is booming. That's because the owners are killing townsfolk and then charging a literal arm and leg for burial expenses. Will Kid Death, his dead dog and brain-dead sister make it out alive? Our serial killing gravediggers have no idea just who they've let in their doors.

I found this book over the summer in a bargain bin. I thought the (variant) cover by Jimmy Palmiotti (Harley Quinn) and John Cebollero was kinda cool. Kid Death is giving some classic horror monsters the biz. But this is one of those times where you never should judge a book by it's cover. 

This special from the Event Comics was as they used to say in 1990s Southern Baptist churches: it's was rude, crude, and social unexceptionable. Some Halloween special can be enjoyed by a wide array of age grows. That's true even if the book isn't rated All Ages. But that is not the case here. This Halloween comic is very gory. It's quite gross. And it's filled with some right-wing, anti-Semitic, anti-Catholic, and pro-pedophilic imagery. 

I'm sure that the creators behind this book from 1997 aren't really deep down racists. No- I haven't unraveled a Comicsgate conspiracy. This book was created over 20 years ago, during the height of Palmiotti and best bud (and regular cover artist) Joe Quesada's immature period. People change over time. Heck, I've actually started liking Joe Q after years of bashing the guy when he was in charge of Marvel. 

Speaking of change, 20 years ago, I might have been fawning all over this special. But I've mature a tiny bit and this book was just ick... So disappointed in this. After reading, I feel like I need to take a shower. 

Not Worth Consuming and no longer a part of my collection.

Rating: 2 out of 10 stars.

Harley Quinn/Gossamer Special #1

Gossamer- that fuzzy orange monster that always grabs Bugs Bunny and says that he’s gonna ‘hug him, squeeze hi, and call him George.’ That’s the Looney Tunes character that is starring in the DC/Looney Tunes crossover with the Joker’s EX-Girlfriend Harley Quinn. Most people recognize Gossamer but don’t remember his name. That’s kinda how I felt when I read that Harley was pairing up with Gossamer. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out who this Mortimer was. But once I saw the cover, I was like ‘so that’s his name.’

The story takes place right after a hurricane is bearing down on Harley’s home turf of Cooney Island. In hopes of accessing the damage, Harley Quinn stumbles across a crate that had washed ashore and immediately calls dibs! Inside the crate Gossamer and he’s hungry. Just as the monster about to eat every hot dog on Coney Island, a massive robot attacks Harley and her new friend.

Just who’s behind this attack? Well, the answer to that question isn’t that hard. There’s big giant smiley face painted on the robot! Harley and Gossamer do NOT like being shot at. Boy, o-boy is Mistah J gonna get it!

You know they saying ‘how can I miss you if you won’t go away?’ That is how I felt about this opening yarn. A big deal was made of both Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner leaving Harley Quinn after such a lengthy title run. Yet, they’re both back only like 2-3 months after their retirement. I know that DC wanted me to be in awe of their return in this special. But the husband and wife team weren’t gone long enough to feel like I needed to welcome them back. Harley’s co-creator Paul Dini has been away long enough from his creation that any time he returns to do a story about The Maid of Mischief, it feels fresh, edgy, and new. Why didn’t DC have him do the opening story?

The second story was done in the Looney Tunes style. It’s an almost exact clone of the Merry Melodies cartoon Hair-Raising Hare. In that 1946 cartoon, Bugs Bunny is lured to Gossamer’s master’s evil lair and hi-jinx ensues. Replace Bugs will Harley, add a little bit of her psychological background and you’ve got this insane romp.

I was excited about a Harley Quinn special. But I just don’t recognize this Harley very well- YET. I’m a classic Harley, in the classic suit kind of guy. Why I was even a little stunned at the sexual banter between Harley and Poison Ivy. I had heard of such a relationship between the two but never personally witnessed it until in this comic. Not being anti-same sex relationship here. No, it’s just that the rumor became fact and I didn’t expect it in this book.

These crossovers are rated Teen. But you know that a lot of parents are going to share these with their kids. If you think about it, this story is the first time Looney Tunes addresses homosexuality and gender without making a joke out of it as they had for decades. Don’t believe me? Watch any Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd cartoon made before 1980. At some point, Bugs will dress up as a woman, seduce Elmer, and then make fun of the hapless hunter for kissing a guy!

An interesting read with hints of humor that at the bottom of it. More probably if you know who these supporting characters of Harley’s are. This issue will make you have to have a dialogue about Harley’s life and loves. Especially if read with younger readers. I didn’t know Looney Tunes was so edgy. I guess when you take away the smoking guns and carrots, you’ve got to tackle heavier stuff…

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Jonah Hex/Yosemite Sam Special #1

When prospector Yosemite Sam finally strikes it rich, it brings about the attention of some unsavory characters. Seeking protection, Sam hires the baddest bounty hunter in the Old West, Jonah Hex as his body guard. This usually isn't Hex's thing but he's got a week to kill before the fee for his latest capture gets delivered. 

Then in the second feature by Bill Matheny and Dave Alvarez, it's bear season and Sam and Hex reunite when their paths cross. Jonah is on the hunt for a renegade while Yosemite Sam is trying to catch a nasty bear that has become the stuff of legend for it's destruction of property. There's absolutely nothing that could link the two prey, is there?

The Jonah Hex/Yosemite Sam Special was really good. It was another great DC/Looney Tunes crossover that got overlooked by the magnificence that was the Batman/Elmer Fudd Special. When I saw the preview cover, I noticed that Foghorn Leghorn was on the cover. He's a giant talking chicken! So, I couldn't figure out how they were going to explain him in this book. Thankfully, writer Jimmy Palmiotti  (Harley Quinn's) explains it as Leghorn is a circus freak with feather who doubles as a strongman. 

The interior art was great. I really like Mark Texeira's (Black Panther) style. It's quite gritty and rustic. But I didn't like the cover so much. Hex looks great. Foghorn's okay. But what is wrong with Yosemite Sam? Isn't he supposed to be bowlegged? Texeira makes him look too static for some reason. But man, doesn't Jonah look awesome? Okay- my favoring of the cover was 50/50.

A really good Western/cartoon crossover with just a small cover issue or two...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Monolith #3

(2004-2005) DC Comics. Story of Jimmy Palmiotti. Art by Justin Gray

 With this third issue I come upon the end of Monolith’s origin. It's really top notch work by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray. Palmiotti’s script was really good. But Justin Gray's art is beautiful. How have I not been more aware of his work until now?

   The book jumps ahead about 60 years and there's some things that I don't quite understand. But from what I read, I want to collect the rest of this early 2000s series. It's now on my wish list!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Harley Quinn and Her Gang of Harleys

   Being good now is hard work. It also doesn't pay very well. So Harley Quinn starts up the Gang of Harleys. It's their job to take on those messy, low paying jobs when Harley is busy doing other stuff. But when Harley is abducted by a deranged fan, the Gang of Harleys will have to become a team fast or they might be known forever more as the Gang of Dead Harleys!
    
 Harley Quinn and Her Gang of Harley's was a crazy romp into the world of the Joker's Ex-Girlfriend. Frank Tieri and Jimmy Palmiotti do a great job making this story as nutty as possible. But this storyline seems awfully familiar to one recently developed by the House of Ideas. So I must ask which came first: The Gang of Harleys or Deadpool's Mercs for Money? It's so weird how DC and Marvel publish similar story-lines so darn close to each other. And let's be honest here folks, you know that a Gang of Harleys/Mercs for Money team-up that is just begging to be written!
     
      The Gang of Harleys is one of the most diverse groups in comic book history. There's a black Harley on the team as there also are a Jewish one, a Hispanic, an Asian, and an Indian member. There's even a homosexual male named Harvey Quinn in the group. Plus assisting the team is a dwarf and a handi-capable person! So why didn't this 2016 miniseries get any praise for it's all-encompassing line-up? You couldn't scroll down Facebook without a Marvel series getting props for it's diverse line-up of books! Why doesn't the Gang of Harleys get some much deserved love for this?

     I'm also surprised that this book didn't achieve some notoriety for it's true villain- a Donald Trump-style businessman. This Donald 'clone' is the real reason for Harley Quinn kidnapping. Again, there were so many stories about comics that mocked Donald Trump over the past year and a half. Yet, when his persona comes into play in this story, I was completely surprised! (Yes- great job for the folks at DC for keeping the spoilers under wraps but I really hate the DC doesn't get it's fair share of reporting on pop culture media sites!)
       
The artwork by Mauricet is very good and I just love the Amanda Conner covers. But why didn't Conner do the art for the whole book? It was sorely missing here! No offense to Mauricet, it's just that when you see Conner's beautiful work gracing the cover, you expect to see a book full of Amanda Conner artwork!

    Worth Consuming!

     Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Flashpoint: Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager #3

  After facing down a mutiny aboard his ship, Deathstroke uncovers a key piece of information that will finally reunite him with his daughter Rose. But to save her means that the pirate will walk into the most deadliest trap he'll ever have to face. Woe to those who hold his daughter captive because like they say 'hell hath no fury like a father scorned!'

    This was a very action packed closer to this Flashpoint tie-in. But it was also a little bit confusing. There were so many plans and then secret plans and then back-stabbings that I had to re-read this issue twice. Plus, it doesn't help having a character die and then have them come back for a couple of panels and then disappear again as if nothing happened. 
   I couldn't tell if this error was an accidental oversight on the part of legendary writer Jimmy Palmiotti (Marvel Knights) or the artists- or if maybe the editor dropped the ball. It could've been a subterfuge on the part of Deathstroke. But then why would he say that this character died in the captions, which are supposed to be thoughts contained in Slade's head? 
   I'm even confused writing all of this...
   Not my favorite closing chapter and by no means was it my favorite of the tie-ins. That's really disappointing because I thought the opening chapter was really strong. But it just went downhill from there.

   Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.
 

Power Girl: Power Trips

   For a brief period of time, Power Girl was treated as the IT Girl of DC Comics. I never really got into her mostly based on her appearance. With her Amazonian physique and huge assets, I tried to steer away from her stuff thinking it was mostly a sex comic.

  Then about 3 years ago, something changed. I had just finished up my collection of the Giffen and DeMatteis run of Justice League titles from the 80s and 90s. Being one to hate cliff hangers, I waited until I had these runs complete before I read them. Power Girl, who takes up residence at one time or another in most of these titles, was a dark horse character that I came to love due to her scrappy work ethic and the mystery of her true origin and place of birth. Plus, she’s was/is/ and then maybe wasn’t after all the Earth-2 version of Supergirl. Well, that in my book made her not so bad.

As I read more books starring Kara Zor-L, I became even more of a fan of hers. From her earliest appearances in the 1970s reboot of the Justice Society in All-Star Comics to finding her missing family in Infinite Crisis, Power Girl cemented all of the hype that surrounded her almost a decade ago.

Two titles that boosted Power Girl to a temporary super-star status were JSA and her own self-titled series. Power Trips is a treasury that collects two stories from this era. The first 4 issues is from JSA: Classified, a series devoted to unpublished mini-series starring some of the members of the JSA. In this storyline, the Psycho Pirate seeks to make Power Girl release the truth behind her jumbled origin. I liked this story because it really did help correct some of the mess behind just Power Girl was. After the Crisis, we’d been told that Power Girl was really the granddaughter of the Atlantean wizard Arion, a Legionnaire sent to the past for a mission but stricken with amnesia, and the real cousin of Superman. But Psycho Pirate, who never lost track of what the multi-verse was like before Crisis on Infinite Earths, knows the truth about Kara and will manipulate time and space to help her see the light.

I liked this story, but there are too many open ended plots that never get resolved. At the end of chapter 4, we learn that Lex Luthor is behind this plot and then in the epilogue to Power Trips, we see Power Girl get attacked by Clayface. But by chapter 5, which is a reprint of her premier self-titled series, Kara has moved to New York to star up a research company. There’s no mention of the assault by Clayface and Lex Luthor is never heard from again.

What’s up with that? And do those plot lines ever get resolved?

Thankfully, the next storyline helps me get over this confusion pretty quick. Written and drawn by the dynamic team of Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Justin Gray, the first 12 issues of the 2009-2011 series of Power Girl is awesome. This epic tale has Power Girl battling the Ultra-Humanite, dealing with a photographing Peeping Tom, and fighting off the advances of a hormonal space Casanova that looks an awful lot like Sean Connery in Zardoz. (Don’t believe me, then why does this guy fly a giant stone head for his space ship?)

Power Girl: Power Trips is a massive volume filled with 16 issues. For only $30 and in full color, that’s a freaking steal! The art of Conner and Gray is fantastic and I love the covers, especially to PG #10. Kara’s facial expression on that cover is just classic. While this volume is gigantic, it’s in no way an omnibus. So, there’s still 15 issues of Power Girl out there waiting for me to collect and devour.

I’m trying to collect all of JSA and JSA Classified and with my search for the remaining Power Girl issues now underway, hopefully, I will find out why Luthor wanted Power Girl to know the truth about the multiverse so bad and why Clayface attacks her. I highly recommend this edition and I hope you’ll over look some of the inconsistencies from the first story line and the second. If you can, you’ll be in for a visual treat that’s funny, sexy, and extremely smart.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars