Bill & Teds Excellent Holiday Adventure #1

Bill and Ted reunite with old friends So-Crates, Billy the Kid and the rest of the time displaced crew from the first movie. 

A renegade from the future seeks to rewrite history. Not happy with the age of peace and prosperity ushered in by the music of Bill and Ted, this villain goes back in time and prevents Beethoven from creating his opus: Ode to Joy. Just as Bill and Ted are about to play the classical tune as the closer to a Christmas Eve concert that is key to the boys becoming founders of the golden age of humanity, the song is wiped from history and Bill and Ted are booed off stage. 

When the boys learn that their friends are being eliminated from the history books, it becomes a literal race against time to put the timeline back in place. Expect paradoxes, rewritten historical events and slapstick as 2 sets of time travelers play chess with important historical figures. It's enough to make time close in on itself!

In the backup tale, take a look at Little Bill and Little Ted. Not yet teenagers, the boys are at the mall hoping to buy their best buds the perfect Christmas present. But in order to do that, they need money. Taking a page out of the works of O. Henry, Bill and Ted unknowingly sell off their prized possessions for cash. Add a few bullies and some Christmas magic in the form of a mysterious dude with a ponytail and this will become a Christmas to remember. 

Both stories were great. Though I think I liked The Gift of the Magi tribute best as that is one of my favorite Christmas stories and tropes. Both stories captured the spirit of Bill and Ted perfectly. Writer John Barber bends time so perfectly that you'd think Doc Brown would have needed his trusty chalkboard to keep everything straight.

As for the artwork. I again liked that of the backup feature better. Juan Samu must have had some childhood photos of Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves on hand because this is how I expect Bill and Ted to look when they were in middle school. Butch Mapa did a great job in the first story. But Samu went above and beyond in the amazing childlike likenesses of the heroes.

A really enjoyable read from 2022. But did we ever get whatever at the end of the book is promised to come in 2023? It just says 'Next Year' with an image of Rufus and the Princesses on it. From what I can tell, this holiday special is currently the last time the dudes appear in comics. It appears that publisher Opus went belly up the following year. But really, no one else has picked up this franchise since then? Surely, the comic adventures of Bill and Ted aren't history. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Harley Quinn x Elvira #1

I had forgotten that I not only bought this Dynamite Entertainment/DC Comics 2025 crossover, I made sure to special order it and the rest of the 6 issue miniseries. I'm a huge fan of Harley Quinn. I've been a fan of hers since her first appearance all the way back to September 11, 1992 on Batman: The Animated Series. I am a proud member of the Gang of Harleys. Plus I am a sucker for any and all comic books that are Halloween themed. Even if the Samhain celebration in this story is occurring in August!

A bad dream reveals that Harley has subconsciously been fretting over missing Halloween last year. She had a terrible stomach flu. So in order to make up for missing All Hallows, she's going to throw the biggest Halloween party Coney Island has ever seen- in the sweltering heat of Summer! And to make it a bash to remember, Harley's going to have as the guest of honor, the Mistress of the Night herself, Elvira. Now all Harls has got to do is meet Elvira...

As for Elvira, she might be able to make it to the bash. Her schedule has suddenly been blown wide open after she learns that her weekly horror movie theatre program has just been cancelled! So when Elvira goes to give her old boss a piece of her mind at his house, she runs into Harley, who just happens to have a fully loaded rocket launcher in her possession.

One big boom and a destroyed mansion later, Harley Quinn has become Elvira's newest best friend. And suddenly in need of cash, the horror hostess agrees to host the extravaganza. Cue the promise of issue #2...

I've got zero idea where this story is going to go. I am just thrilled that the two stars of this series meet with at least half of the first issue remaining. I can't tell you how many cross company crossovers I've read where the two stars don't meet until the last page of the first issue. I also couldn't tell you what's in store for Harley Quinn and Elvira. There isn't really an antagonist here unless you count Elvira's boss. Logic tells me he'll pop back up by the end of this miniseries. But he can't really be the only bad guy in this thing. Can he? 

Unfortunately I might not find out who the villain of this miniseries is until March of next year. I mentioned already that this is a 6-issue miniseries. What I've neglected to mention is that each issue is a monthly. Issue #2 isn't due until right before Thanksgiving and it's Hanukkah when we'll all see issue #3. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know that I hate cliffhangers. As much as I appreciate the talents of Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner and Juan Samu, I'm not sure I can wait until March for the full ending. This issue finished with an ending that left me satisfied enough to wait for the other 5 issues to come out before I read the whole thing. 

Who am I kidding? It won't be until next Halloween when I read it all in a row. I don't care if Harley and Elvira's block party takes place in August, April or next week. I'll be saving this for October 2026!

A little bawdy for my taste. But full of Halloween humor!

Worth Consuming!

Rating:  8 out of 10 stars.