Giant! (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Deedrick is an alchemist. Though from the looks of the current predicament Deedrick is in, he's not a very good one. When his latest experiment results in embarrassment for the leader of his township, Deedrick is assigned to detail duty for the castle protectors. 

In other words, he's been made to clean pigeon poop off the the community's gargoyles.

Deedrick's day is about to get much worse however when he accidentally turns one of the stone grotesques into flesh and bone. The shock causes the boy to drop his cleaning brush which sets off a Rube Goldberg-like series of events throughout the town until the cleaning tool knocks over a seemingly innocent looking tablet containing various runes. Oh, and the damage to the runes awakens a giant menace who's been slumbering under the town for hundreds of years. 

Chris Warton's Giant! began as a 2013 Kickstarter campaign. Successfully funded, Warton's book was self-published under the banner of Salamander Studio. Only about 500 copies of Giant! were published. I became aware of this book years later when I found a used copy with an original sketch of the gargoyle in the inside front cover. It must have been an incentive for one of the backers. Nowadays, interested readers either have to get lucky hunting for one of the few existing print copies or they can obtain an ebook copy on Amazon as well as at Warton's personal website. A few other digital works are also available from the artist. In 2020, Warton saw another successful campaign funded, the fantasy heavy Venture Cats. 

Original sketch from my copy.

Perhaps Chris Warton's biggest claim to fame are his YouTube videos. Warton's channel features dozens of how to draw mini classes as well as time-lapsed detailings of his latest works of art. 

As for the continuing adventures of Deedrick and the living gargoyle, there's not currently any announced plans. 

Completing this review completes Task #29 (A Book Involving Gargoyles) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

A Vampire in Hollywood: And Other Tales of Supernatural Law

The last few issues of Supernatural Law are collected in this volume. 

I personally have a connection to this book as I was one of the backers on Kickstarter for the publication of A Vampire in Hollywood. Yes! My name is really inside this book, somewhere in the back. 

When I backed this project, I opted for an autographed copy of a rare collection of Supernatural Law comic strips commonly known as 'The Red Book', due to the blood red cover. That was about 7 years ago. Just recently, I decided to stop sitting on the pot and complete my collection. (Naturally, I've learned that I'm actually farther away from finishing up my run of Supernatural Law books.)

The cover story of this book is about a 5th generation vampire who's being sued for sexual harassment. The reluctant vampire is claiming to have been outed as a bloodsucker, even though he's a vegetarian. But when his newfound popularity opens the doors to Hollywood stardom, all of a sudden, this milksop will embrace his inner Nosferatu!

While in Burbank, Wolff & Byrd will entertain a series of pitches for a Supernatural Law movie. Led by former Mavis boyfriend, Toby, this pitch session will be anything but normal. 

Oh, and remember when I said that the original Supernatural Law graphic novel, The Werewolf in New York was set to be read before this book? Well, Wolff & Byrd are in California as an in-direct follow-up to the events of that story. While Leon, the werewolf from that graphic novel is never shown, scenes from that graphic novel are used in the 'sequel' story. 

Lastly, things come to an end for both Supernatural Law (the comic book, not the series itself) and Mavis, the sister series. With Mavis, she's got a new beau and she's desperate to show off him at a gathering of friends. But he's got a complicated history with one of the other party goers. And the birthday boy guest-of-honor is nowhere to be found!

With Supernatural Law's last issue, Woff & Byrd defend their most famous client aside from Count Dracula. It's Troma's Toxic Avenger! Toxie has become the pariah of hometown Tromaville and needs the counselors of the macabre to come to his defense. Featuring the George Lucas of Troma Entertainment, Lloyd Kaufman as narrator and extra guest star!

I always enjoy reading Batton Lash's Supernatural Law. But I think this volume was the most fun I've had since reading volume 3: The Vampire Brat. It's got great storytelling. Awesome artwork. And with that last story, it also gets downright silly. And I loved every page of it!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Red Xmas, Part One

Red Xmas, Part One
Writers: Clay Adams and Alexandre O. Phillippe
Art: Dominike Stanton
Letters: Charles Pritchett
Colors: Emily Elmer
Published by Fried Comics

It's Christmas Eve and Santa is having trouble capturing that Christmas magic that helps him deliver toys to all the good little girls and boys of the world. The only thing that is helping is Mrs. Claus. But when she dies in a tragic accident right before Santa is to leave for the night, Santa goes into shock and needs the elves to help him through the night. Meanwhile in Vermont, young Bryon is expecting Santa to bring him his estranged father for Christmas. Despite the misgivings of his mother, an FBI agent, Bryon is adamant that the Santa at the mall promised him that his dad would return.

So when Bryon and Santa finally meet, the lad learns that his pop is a deadbeat wannabe elf now. Not happy with the revelation, Bryon gives Santa a swift kick in the jingle bells to which a traumatized Santa finally snaps! Thus begins a very bloody Red Xmas!

Naughty, But Nice

First and foremost- this is not a Christmas comic for just anybody. It's definitely not for kids and if the movie Bad Santa was appalling to you then you're not going to enjoy this book. But if you are like me who likes a wide arrange of Christmas comics, especially those that are completely insane, then you are going to love Red Xmas.

When we first meet Santa Claus, how do I put this- he's getting a very special present from Mrs. Claus. Yes- it's kinda dirty at the Old North Pole. Add a jigger of Quentin Tarantino-like violence, a smattering of slapstick, and a touch of vigilante justice and I think you've got an idea what the first chapter of Red Xmas is like. Then add some gasoline to the yule log and you've got the most outlandish holiday comic of all. I'm really interested in knowing what Christmas is like at the Adams and Philippe households. I'm sure it's wild at both!

A Yearly Tradition

Red Xmas, Part One was released in 2015. Despite a one-year skip, Fried Comics is hoping to make the continuing saga of Santa and Bryon an annual event. But it can only happen with your help. There's just a couple of days left on Fried's latest Kickstarter project that looks to combine the now out-of-print first issue along with the second chapter of Red Xmas. With only about $600 left until the project is fully funded, there's a great chance that Red Xmas: O Holy Crap could be sitting under your tree next Christmas!

Maybe you aren't ready to commit to the Kickstarter. That's okay. You can still request a free PDF of chapter one if you sign up for the Fried Pie newsletter. Just head over to friedcomics.com/free for an early Christmas present!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Riffing on the TARDIS: A Review of Rifftrax Live The Five Doctors

For many it was a weekly ritual. You grab a bag of cheese popcorn, some generic version of Dr. Pepper, dim all the lights in your house, and watch Mystery Science Theatre 3000. If you were a super-fan of the show you called it MST3K. Then you allowed hosts Joel or Mike with their robot sidekicks to take you on a cinematic journey. Mocking some of the worst films ever made, the gang would point out plot holes, continuity errors, and bad acting all the while making you laugh.

Currently MST3K has returned for a new season on Netflix. While this series has garnered some very high praise in its revival, the reboot doesn’t have any of the original cast. For many, that can be a major bummer. Not having Netflix is another a huge downer, but that’s a discussion for another article. Thankfully, for those fans devoted to the original series there’s Rifftrax.

What's a Rifftrax?

Rifftrax takes what MST3K did best- finding cheesy movies, the worse you can find (La lala), and tearing them to bits. Second MST3K host, Mike Nelson started Rifftrax in 2006. But it wasn’t until 2012 when Bill Corbett ("Crow" MST3K seasons 8-10) and Kevin Murphy ("Tom Servo" MST3K seasons 2-10) became partners in the company that Rifftrax really took off.
On its website, Rifftrax has an impressive selection of films that they mock. There’s classic B-movies such as Samurai Cop and the Brian Bosworth bomb, Stone Cold. Thanks to Kickstarter, Rifftrax has even been able to obtain rights to films like 1998’s version of Godzilla. Along with the a large portion of the original MST3K shows, Rifftrax’s also provides commentaries you can listen to in conjunction with watching blockbusters such as Rogue One and even the original Mothra. But let’s get back to their Kickstarter projects.

Kickstart those Laughs

Earlier this year, Rifftrax held a mystery Kickstarter project. Due to terms of the licensing agreement, Nelson and company were forbidden to reveal what the film they were going to be skewering unless they obtained complete funding for their project. Well, the Rifftrax guys destroyed their goal and the project was revealed- the guys would be putting their comedic spin on a classic episode of Doctor Who! The BBC apparently did not want to get any hopes up until they knew that the Rifftrax folks could obtain funding for the licensing rights. As a result, Rifftrax put on a special show live last week from Nashville TN where the episode was aired in theaters around the country. Last night was an encore performance of that classic Doctor Who event.

The episode in question was "The Five Doctors"- the 20th anniversary episode of the long-running BBC series. That episode has a slew of classic Doctors and companions joining forces against a rogue Timelord who is stealing all of the Doctor’s past regenerations from the time stream. The 1983 episode stars Peter Davison, Jon Pertwee, and Patrick Thornton as the Fifth, Third, and Second Doctors. 

Blake’s 7 actor Richard Hurndall assumed the role on the First Doctor for the late William Hartnell. Meanwhile, Tom Baker decided to forgo his chance to reprise the role of the Fourth Doctor. So never before used footage from the abandoned episode "Shada" was used instead.

The Rifftrax guys did a fantastic job allowing the fans to laugh at the episode and follow along more of what was happening at the same time. Occasionally, the screen would cut in half allowing viewers to see the episode while watching the shenanigans of Mike Nelson and company. Thankfully, these cuts all happen during lulls in the action. Every once in a while, you hear the commentators giggling at their own jokes but for the most part, it ran rather smoothly.

Technical Difficulties

That wasn’t the case with the opening act. On some episodes of MST3K, they would start off the show by viewing a classic educational film and mock it. Being that Doctor Who is British, the Rifftrax folks went across the pond to bring us Play Safe. According to Kevin Murphy, in the early 70s there was a big problem with kids playing near power lines and inside of substations. So the British government created this film as a way of warning kids of the dangers of high voltage. While there were plenty of laughs made at dumb kids playing with electricity for the first 2-3 minutes, the Rifftrax guys had trouble seeing the monitors and kept asking the tech crew for help. But once it was cleared, it was smooth sailing the rest of the night. Needless to say, the electrocution of little Timmy was a running joke for the duration of the event.

It was great getting to laugh without being reminded of all the crap going on in the world. Only a few jokes were topical.  There was one joke about the next Doctor being cast as a woman. Several jokes about the quality of 2017 summer blockbusters came at the expense of features like The Dark Tower. But the Trump/ Clinton jokes were kept to just one! The Five Doctors was a great event to just escape everything for a little bit. Even my wife said that for 2 solid hours she forgot about work.

Coming Attractions

The next big Rifftrax event is in the fall. On October 25th, theatres nationwide will be airing the Rifftrax Halloween Special showing of the original Night of the Living Dead. Until then, if you need some laughs, you can view a number of features and shorts in the Rifftrax library at prices ranging from $1.99 to $9.99 per episode. Just don’t forget your cheese popcorn and Dr. Pepper knock-off sodas.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Wolff & Byrd: Counselors of the Macabre (AKA: The Red Book)

My personal copy of the 'Red Book."

  Earlier this year, I entered the realm of crowdfunding. I noticed on a website that artist/ writer Batton Lash was in need of funds to get his latest collection of Supernatural Law comics published. So, I headed over to Kickstarter and made a pledge based on the reward I wanted should Lash's latest project become fully funded.
    Instead of asking for an autographed copy of A Vampire in Hollywood, the book Batton Lash was able to get completely funded, I went for a more obscure reward: this book that I am reviewing now. 
    Known as the 'Red Book' because of it's scarlet cover, this volume is Lash's first ever collection of his earliest comic strips to feature Alanna Wolff and Jeff Byrd; the Counselors of the Macabre. (Interesting side bit, Wolff and Byrd don't even appear in the first two strips! Published in 1987 by Andrion Books, this book has been out of print for decades. Figuring I had a better chance of obtaining a copy of A Vampire in Hollywood than finding a rare book that even Amazon doesn't have in their data base, I choose this as my prize. 
    The 'Red Book' contains adventures including a vampire dentist, a woman seeking divorce because her pushy husband is causing her to disappear, and a trip to London to defend a gentleman werewolf. Along the way, you also get to relive the college years origin of how the two supernatural lawyers met. Rounding out the book was a Christmas themed parody of that Dickens classic, which I waited to read until last in order to be more in the holiday spirit. 
    For being essentially the pilot episode for Supernatural Law, this collection wasn't bad. In his early years, Lash would use up to 8 panels in a comic strip and in this reprinted form, the reading was really tiny. (I could only read a couple of pages at a time before I started to get a headache.) But as an added bonus, even though it wasn't specified on the Kickstarter agreement, my copy was even autographed by Lash himself! 
     A treasured treasury that is hard to find but worth the search.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.