Marvel Super Special #39: Santa Claus: The Movie

1985's Santa Claus: The Movie is not only considered the worst Christmas film of all time; it holds a distinction of being placed on the lists of many from film critics worst films ever made. Still, that didn't keep me from having this magazine sized Marvel comic book adaptation on my wish list for many years.

I remember going with my mom to see this in theaters in '85. I had just turned 8 and I either saw it during Thanksgiving break or Christmas break. The sets of the North Pole and the costumes of the elves and Santa were stunningly beautiful. But I recall how weird that the movie looked on the screen. Something was off and finding out years later that this was an American/British production, that explains it.  But as a form of entertainment to a 2nd grader who loved the magic of Christmas, it wasn't a terrible movie.

Along with the use of video tape instead of celluloid, one element that has critics cringing is the blatant product placement. At the time, it didn't seem so weird to me. But having re watched the film years later, the film feels like a 90 minute commercial for a lot of international products. The 5 minute long scene where McDonald's diners are gleefully devouring burgers and fries in front of a starving homeless boy seems cruel. Even if it is just a movie, that scene doesn't convey an image of Mickey D's caring about the little guy. 

With McDonald's sponsorship, there was a lot of marketing for the movie. But instead of toys, they gave out book adaptations of segments of the movie. There were also some record read-a-longs, coloring books and I want to say a sweatshirt or t-shirt tie-in. But no toys or candy. Though considering how dangerous the candy is in this story, maybe that was a good thing.

I think Marvel either missed a great opportunity to not release this as a giant sized movie special. Or they dodged a gigantic bullet. With the film bombing domestically (it was a big hit in the UK) and only a magazine edition of the comic book adaptation, not a lot of Marvel Super Special #39 were produced. Marvel didn't lose too much on this book and today, this issue is a highly sought after addition to Christmas comic book collectors collections because of how rare it is. Not to mention, the heftier price tag. 

I've seen people asking anywhere from $60-100 for this book. Too rich for me. I consider myself very lucky (or on Santa's nice list), finding it in near mint condition for less than $20! This was a fine adaptation. I think it benefited well from not being tied up with so much licensing and that allowed writer Sid Jackson to really capture the intended magical feel of the story. The artwork by Frank Springer was very good with some great likenesses of most of the cast. Petra Scotese's color palette fully captured the bright and lively hues I remember so vividly being a part of the film.

A true diamond in the rough. Normally, adaptations don't do justice to a movie. But this one actually surpasses the original product!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Star Trek: The Newspaper Comics, The Complete Comics Vol. 1: 1979-1981

Celebrating a forgotten period of Star Trek comics. From 1979-1983, select newspapers nationwide carried the further adventures of Kirk, Spock and the rest of the USS Enterprise crew in comic strip form. Unlike the Gold Key Comics version or Marvel's short-lived run of adventures, the Star Trek comic strips are the rarest of the rare because most newspapers decided instead to run the Star Wars strip along with the continuing escapades of Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon in the funny pages.

Set immediately after the events of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, this book covers the next 5-year mission, which coincidentally is being explored right now in the IDW Publishing miniseries Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Echoes. These 23rd century episodes are full of Klingons, with their new head ridges, along with many of the races introduced in the 1979 Robert Rise flick such as Arcturians, Saurians and Zaranites. But sorry Next Gen fans, not a Romulan in the bunch!

This joint IDW/Library of American Comics collaboration was published in 2012. I didn't even know this thing existed until I saw a post about this in one of the Star Trek Comics groups I am a member of on Facebook. I learned about this collection from Rich Handley, who wrote the foreword and helped with the editing, from a post. Thus, in the manner of complete transparency, I am not in any way being compensated for a review of this book. (Unless Rich follows through on the No-Prize I requested when I found an error in one of his story recaps.)

The main genius behind many of these stories is Thomas Warkentin. He provides nearly flawless older representations of the Enterprise crew. It's forgivable that Lt. Ilia appears in the first story, despite having died earlier in her lone canon appearance during The Motion Picture. The quality of the stories, the artwork and just how in character everybody is is top notch! 

After about a year, Warkentin left the strip. He was replaced by Sharman DiVino and Ron Wilson. The stories were just as good. The art was just as stunning. Only for some reason, both Spock and Kirk have been de-aged to look like their 1960s incarnations while Uhura, Scotty and the rest remain their middle aged selves. 

Both this volume and volume 2 are out of print. Amazon at least still has a few copies of this edition left at the original cover price of $49.99. As for the companion piece, it's really expensive. Not just on Amazon but everywhere that claims to have a copy. $119 and up! No joke. And no way I'm going to ever get my hands on a copy for that price, right?

If you do go searching for Volume 2, it can also get a little confusing. Eaglemoss, which is a publisher out of England, released the entire 1979-83 run of the strips in 3 volumes. They can be purchased on eBay for around 25-40 pounds. Not sure what the dollars to pounds conversion rate is. And since I already have volume 1, I'm not about to go that route. Plus, with UPS about to go on strike, I'm afraid if I order from the UK, it'll be the 23rd Century before I receive them.

A great read of long lost tales exploring the final frontier! Including a fantastic look at the ST:TMP McDonald's Happy Meal boxes that featured comic strip art by Thomas Warkentin!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 45

     It's February 14th! That means it's time for love, romance, and being with the one you love. Unless you're single and then you hate all that crap... I understand, I was in that boat myself for a very long time.

     Even if you don't like Valentine's Day, I thought it would be fun to look at the cards people were giving to one another in my favorite year. Enjoy...

Ziggy- It wasn't love or the 70s without this creation of cartoonist Tom Wilson. The bald little guy was everywhere and if you found yourself in a pinch having forgot to give your sweetie a card, Ziggy was in every drug store in America to help save the day.

Holly Hobby- Little girls loved Holly Hobby. She was like a poor girl's Barbie or her country cousin. Little House on the Prairie was big in the late 70s and Holly Hobby's Go West look cashed in on the Michael Landon hit show set in the 1880s.

Puppy Love- Animals were all the rage in the 70s. This little card was a pun as many Valentine's Day cards for children often are.

 Valentine's Fun- I don't recall every getting a Valentine's Day card like this from my mom or anyone else. But I do remember the activity card fondly. The best cards were one's where you could do fun and games and other stuff. But it was always best if the card had cold hard cash inside. This activity card allowed you to create paper dolls you could play with alone or share with friends.

McDonald's- The Home of Over a Billion (hamburgers) Served had the market on kids dining choices throughout the 70s and 80s. Though this card is from 1974, I remember these, as for several year's each Valentine's Day, you could get a set of cards from Mickey D's with purchase of a happy meal. (I seem to also remember these came with a coupon for a free ice cream sundae, but don't hold me to that.)

Reissues- For a very long time, companies would reissue the same Valentine's Day cards year after year. That's clearly not the case any more as it is faux pas to give your friends the same Pokemon Valentine two years in a row! The biggest offender was Disney. They had created numerous cards from around 1938 until the late 60s and reissue the same lot over and over and over. Here's an example of a 1960s created card for teacher that came in a 1977 Disney pack of cards:

DC Comics- Did you think I was going to pass over the super heroes? Come on now! This set of cards is highly sought after by collectors. The beautiful artwork of Dick Giordano and Jim Aparo is just stunning.
    With the first card- I'm not sure what's up with the weird and very random dots...

 I had to include this image as it features one of my all-time favorite superheroes- Supergirl. I'm not ashamed to admit it, I love Supergirl! I love the whole Superman family but I am huge fan of the Maid of Might. Poor Flash, however, stuck in the friends zone...

Oh Deer-  Now this card is interesting. I remember finding in when packing up things after my mom died. She had given this card to my dad sometime probably from 1976-78. It's another animal pun Valentine...

So that's my look at Valentines of 1977. I want to point out that yes, being a November baby and being told that I was several weeks late, I was more than likely conceived during some Valentine's shenanigans. So to commemorate that possibility, I have a little Valentine's Day card for you my dear readers. Yes, it's crude and a little irreverent but that's me to a T... Happy Cupid Day, Everyone!!!