Monster Fun School's Out Special 2022

Yesterday was the last day for students at the school I teach at. So it's only fitting that I read this Monster Fun special devoted to the end of class. Though really this was more about Summer fun than saying goodbye to teachers and textbooks. 

Take away the Steel Commando story and the Leopard From Lime Street which are serials, and thus forgivable to not be topical or even 'seasonal'. Still, only 1 or 2 segments take place at school and they don't involve leaving for Summer. Though that Hell's  Angel story where the diminutive hellion turns the tables on a trio of bullies was pretty funny.

The Hire A Horror story with all the beastly employees on holiday was hilarious. Kid Kong was slapsticky but entertaining. The clone adventure with Frankie Stein was predictable but worth a chuckle or two. I just wish that the artwork was a bit less hideous as a Basil Wolverton doppelganger as a PB and Brains sandwich is pretty nauseating to look at

There was another story that was a one-shot tale and not a regular segment of Monster Fun. 'The Sun' crafted by Juni Ba reveals the secret reason behind Dracula's ability to suddenly be able to exist pain free in the sunlight. It was my favorite story. Maybe if only because the punchline was eerily close to to a story proposal I wrote years ago for a now defunct Indy publisher.

Sadly, this will probably be my last read of a Monster Fun special of any type. This issue was from 2022 and being an import from the UK, it's been really difficult for my favorite comic shops to get a hold of them. Mostly, that's due to the bankruptcy of Diamond Comic Distributors. I'm suspecting our current tariff trade war isn't helping matters much lately.

Maybe I'll get lucky and find a lot of 10 issues for $20 bucks somewhere down the line. I'm always open to reading more of these. It's just nigh impossible to find these in the States anymore.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Monster Fun Easter Special 2022

This Easter special is from 2022. Direct from the UK, because of customs, it came about 3 months after Easter had occurred that year. Then it took me 3 years to remember in time for the holiday that I had this book to read.

Easter comics are pretty rare. I think I can only think of enough to fill one hand worth of fingers. And with exception of 1 book, a Marvel one-shot from the 90s, none of the rest of them involves the death and resurrection of Jesus. But being a fan of holiday comics, I was excited nonetheless for a Springtime treat.

I got halfway through this magazine sized read when I started wondering what was Easter about this book? There was a story about a robot commando, a girl who's special makeup turned her into a monster and Dr. Frankenstein's monster losing yet another brain. Other than the cover that cleverly placed the stars of this book having an egg hunt on Easter Island, there wasn't a single appearance by a bunny was to be had. Tons of cats in a caper involving the felines trying to take over the world. But not 1 fluffy rabbit.

Then at the exact mid point of this issue do we finally get an appearance of the Easter Bunny. It's a funny fable about how a young boy gets to eat all of his family's Easter candy because he defeated the Easter Bunny. (At least that's what he tells his younger sibling.)  Then a temp agency where you hire monsters run by Dracula, decorates for Easter. Lastly, a little demon girl tries to help the Easter Bunny escape from the pits of Hades- to disastrous effect! Throw in a couple more creature capers and you've got about 9 stories with only 3 being holiday themed. 

I don't fault the 'Leopard From Lime Street' story for not taking place during Easter. It's a serial and possibly changing things to fit into the spirit of the season could upset the story flow. One story sees a little vampire girl going on a Spring vacation with her adopted human family. So while not a holiday book, it at least was seasonal.

Look, I get it. Easter isn't an easy holiday to craft stories about. There's only so many ideas involving bunnies and egg hunts you can come up with without getting stale. And very rarely do even Christmas comic books delve into the Christian elements. But  if only a third of your book is even focused on secular Easter festivities, maybe call it a 'Spring Holiday Special' instead.

I like Monster Fun. I think the stories are funny and I enjoy the art. Their Halloween and Christmas books have become must haves for me. I just wish that I wasn't set up for an accidental 3 year wait to fall so flat in terms of the amount of holiday material that I felt I was promised.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Monster Fun Christmas Special 2022

Rebellion's revival of the classic 1970s UK horror humor title celebrates the season of giving. From 2022, if this feels like a British version of The Nightmare Before Christmas, you'd be right. Here you've got vampires, devils and Frankenstein's monster taking part in Christmas festivities.

Not every segment was Christmas themed. The android Steel Commando story was a continuation from the previous issue. Since it was playing off a cliffhanger, I was okay that it wasn't a set during the holidays. However, the Leopard From Lime Street was working off of a continuous plotline and they managed to celebrate Christmas. True, the amount of Christmas detrimental to the plotline was about as debatable to if Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not.

The main title of this book is Monster Fun and I had a lot of fun reading this tabloid sized read. Despite being heavy on creatures of the night, there's a healthy dose of Santa Claus. Being a British comic, I was surprised that Krampus only appears in 1 story. As for the primary punchline, it was Brussel sprouts! I didn't realize until after reading this issue and later doing some research, but Brussels are an English Christmas dinner staple. But why all the hate? The once hated vegetable has undergone a revolution in the States. I wonder if the Brussels across the pond haven't been hybridized to remove their bitterness...

I didn't plan it, but my holiday readings for this year have been very heavy on books from Europe. Since it's turning out this way, I'm getting a pretty good idea of what titles are on task for my upcoming 2024 Christmas comic book reads. If anything, I got inspiration as well as a few laughs out of this international read.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Monster Fun Halloween Spooktacular

A little unusual background about this UK Halloween special. It was published last October over in England. However, due to whatever reasons, shipping delays, customs, you name it, I didn't buy this book new until later this past spring. That means I've been hanging on to this tabloid sized release for quite some time.

In the spirit of British publications such as Beano, Monster Fun isn't a brand new anthology. Instead, it's a revival of a cult favorite weekly magazine from 1975-76. That book along with this bi-monthly reboot is aimed at readers aged 7-12, containing series devoted to the more macabre, unusual and bizarre comic book characters from across the pond. Most of the stories are humorous franchises. Yet, there are a couple of more dramatic pieces included in this book.

According to the publisher, this special was 48 pages in length. But it felt longer than that and mostly in a good way. The Monster Fun Halloween Spooktacular read to me like a deluxe British version of the Sunday funny pages. About half of the stories were less than 2 pages in length, making for some immediate laughs. Of the remaining segments, I don't think anything was longer than 8 pages.

My favorite segment was probably the Leopard From Lime Street, about a teenager who is granted the mystical powers of the jungle cat when he's attacked by one at the local zoo. It was a legit superhero story with a creepy antagonist and great art. French artist, Laurent Lefeuvre's work is a cross between Francesco Francavilla (Afterlife With Archie) and Derek Charm (Star Wars Adventures). I'm really hoping to find more adventures of this character in the future.

Another favorite was the superhero parody starring the classic duo known as the Birdman, and Chicken and their new partner, the Sparrow. It's All Hallows Eve and the 3 heroes are summoned to save the city from Solomon Grundy of all people! Grundy is a character of folk legend. But wonder if this version is in any way affiliated with DC'S big baddie...

Other enjoyable stories involved a company of monsters trying to compete with the internet in the no-quite-so lucrative jump scare business, a young girl who helps her father save his fledgling studio by putting on an impromptu blockbuster horror picture, and family that goes on a Halloween yard sale for some spooky bargains. (BTW are Halloween yard sales a thing in the UK? Because if so, I am in!)

A lot of the remaining stories were entertaining, just not favs. But there was a story inside that I absolutely hated. Called Sweeney Toddler, The Demon Baby, it's a story about a devil of a toddler with foul intentions and that emirates even more foul odors. The story was one endless diaper joke after another. With it's what I am assuming cockney slang, the yarn was also darn near impossible to understand. I thought that this was a gross parody of the British version of Dennis the Menace that I couldn't wait for to be over. Ironically, the ending was most cerebral thing about the whole thing. Neat twist ending. But not enough to save it in my opinion.

I also really liked the lead story that starred Frankie Stein. Mostly for the amazing array of Easter Eggs that artist John Lucas peppers throughout the short. Speaking of Easter, I recently got a copy of this year's Monster Fun Easter Special and I can't wait until next spring to read it! Mostly because it's extremely rare to score an Easter related comic in the states for some reason...

Lots of British fun. But you'll need to check with your favorite LCS for availability due to the really wonky delayed releasing of this series.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.