The Smurfs Christmas (Family Comic Friday)

The Smurfs Christmas is a festive collection of several shorts. 3 directly involved Christmas. One mentions writing letters to Santa and is set during wintertime. Another involves snowmen, which are holiday icons. And then we've got that one story that involves a very hungry ogre.

Story #1 sees Santa down with a case of the flu. Knowing Gargamel is a sorcerer, Claus seeks a potion to help him complete his rounds. The dastardly medicine man finds opportunity to kidnap Santa and become the Jolly Old Fatman in hopes of infiltrating the Smurf village and stealing some for his Christmas dinner. 

Story #2 finds Gargamel captured by a hungry ogre. Thinking quickly, the fiend convinces the ogre that Smurfs make better tasting meals. There's quite a bit of tension as the Ogre with Gargamel still in his clutches, inch closer to Smurf village!

Story #3 starts off with a the Smurfs building snowmen. With warmer weather in the forecast, the snowmen come alive, trying to make it to the safety of the frigid Northern lands. But an encounter with Gargamel results in the snowmen betraying their Smurf creators.

Story #4 has the Smurfs exploring their nearby territory. Things are awfully quiet with all the woodland creatures taking warm refuge from the winter weather. All this quiet results in Sleepy Smurf cuddling up in a dormouse hutch. As the rest of the Smurfs write their letters to Santa, Sleepy Smurf and friend find themselves unknowingly the target of a hungry poacher- because they're sleeping through their entire predicament!!!

Story #5 stars Lumberjack Smurf who while looking for the perfect Christmas tree, almost chops down a talking pine. Turns out that the verbose tree is actually a little girl who was turned into a conifer by a witch. 

The final tale is a reunion between Gargamel and Santa. Faced with being on the naughty list again, the wizard can earn a gift for Christmas if he delivers gifts to all the Smurfs. But should he fall into temptation, Gargamel will be turned into an earthworm!

When I grew up, religious groups proclaimed the Smurfs to be agents of the devil. There's a little bit of magic in the book. It's mostly Gargamel's doing. Papa Smurf does refer to a book of prophecy in the Orge story. But by the end of it, he burns the book wanting to make his own destiny. There is some Looney Tunes level slapstick. That's mostly at the hands of Jokey Smurf and his love of those exploding gift boxes. 

What got on my nerves was the progressive use of the word 'Smurf'. It's gently sprinkled into the vocabulary in the first couple of tales. By the end of this book, it literally peppered it to the point of overuse. I mean, it smurfingly smurfed getting on my smurfing smurfs! (Hopefully, you get my drift...) It's a Christmas tree! Not a Christmas smurf!!! I don't care what the back panel on the book says...

This was a great assortment of holiday and winter time Smurfs stories by their legendary Belgian creator, Peyo. But why was that ogre story thrown in? I would have been with just those 5 other stories alone in order to make this a more cohesive collection. The only reason I can figure out for addition of the ogre oddity is that this book is about 55 pages long. Without the 8 pages of 'The Ogre and the Smurfs ', this 2013 offering from Papercutz would barely clock in at 47 pages. I have the paperback edition which at $5.99 is a steal. But I bet the smaller page count just wouldn't have been feasible for Papercutz', hardcover edition.Lots of seasonal fun with a small detour in the middle. Sure to delight generations of Smurfs fans.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Smurfs Olympic Special (Family Comic Friday)

The Olympic games in Paris are less than 3 weeks away and I'm absolutely thrilled that Papercutz is celebrating with this Smurftastic special. Reprinting the story 'The Smurf Olympics' from 1979, the torch is passed to the next generation of Smurf fans with this one-shot floppy.

Hefty Smurf is unhappy with how lazy his fellow Smurfs are. In order to help get them into better shape, he proposes a series of games in which the winners get medals. Oh, and a kiss from Smurfette!

The village splits into 2 teams. Sadly, nobody wants fragile Weakling Smurf on their squad, so he becomes a team of one! 

This yarn becomes two stories at this point. Hefty is engulfed in a comedy of errors as he can't get any of his fellow Smurfs to act serious. Meanwhile Weakling Smurf is starring in his own version of the Tortoise and the Hare as he tries so very hard to train (in vain) for the forthcoming Smurf Olympics. Add in Brainy Smurf driving everyone crazy as the official referee of the competition and the wisdom of Poppa Smurf and you've got yourself about as perfect as a Smurf adventure as you can get without the presence of Gargamel and his cat Azrael!

I had debated on whether or not to pre-order a copy of this book from my favorite local comic shop. I'm trying to scale back my collection a bit. Plus I read about this book a week late because I was on vacation when the Previews for this special dropped. I figured if I tried to order it later, I probably wouldn't get my hands on a copy until AFTER the Olympics had passed. So I was content to miss out on a copy. Imagine my surprise when I went to my favorite store just yesterday and they had a couple of copies available on the shelves at the checkout. I figured this is kinda a holiday special and since they went to the trouble of ordering this, I happily made it a part of my collection.

Now this isn't the story's first time in print. There's the original version in France which a year later was serialized in a couple European mags. Just a couple of years ago, Papercutz released the story as part of their Smurfs 3-in-1 anthology series in volume 4. There have also been countless adaptations of the story in the 40 years in-between publishing. I don't want to dissuade anyone from buying a comic book, especially if it's one I review for Family Comic Friday. However, as there isn't any new material in the Smurfs Olympic Special, if the young reader in your life already owns Smurfs 3-in-1, Volume 4 already, save your money. OR... buy a copy for another deserving young reader who might be thinking about getting into comics. 

Lastly, for those of you parents and guardians who like me heard the myth growing up that the Smurfs are demonic. There's no magic in this story. Except for a couple exploding tricks from Jokey Smurf, this isn't even a violent tale. From what I can tell, it was the Jehovah's Witnesses who declared the Smurfs to be Satanic. As with every family friendly book I review, I leave it up to the parents to ultimately decide. However, if this book ends up being a hit in your home, check out the Smurfs official channel on Youtube where they've got the 1983 hour-long animated Smurf Olympic Special ready for viewing! It could be a lot of fun and cool way to beat the Summer heat as you prepare for the real games later this month!

Nostalgic with a heart-warming ending. A very liberal use of the word 'Smurf' as a substitute for other words that can get a little confusing and annoying. But something multiple generations of readers can enjoy!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Nightmare Brigade, Vol. 3: Finding Alice (Family Comic Friday)

After numerous experiments exploring the human mind via entering people's most fevered dreams, the Nightmare Brigade is ready to tackle its most dangerous mission yet: rescuing Tristan's mother! To do this, they must enter the mind of madness that is of the sleep clinic's most troubled patient, Leonard! But the team will have to act fast as Professor Angus' old boss Colonel Bloom has finally found him and is seeking both revenge and the Morpheus technology that allows one to enter the nightmare realm.

With Volume 3 the Nightmare Brigade enters a new era. The jury is still out if I like the changes or not. I'm still very intrigued. But I am also very dubious about some of the new characters added to the mix. Plus, Professor Angus continues to act all righteous and yet a lot of the decisions he makes are rather unethical. 

Another way that Nightmare Brigade is changing is through ownership of its American publisher Papercutz. Editor-in-Chief Jim Salicrup always ends each volume with a letter to the reader, expounding on the next volume as well as other series in the works. This time around, Salicrup informs readers that Papercutz is now the property of Mad Cave Studios and that both he and founder Terry Nantier will be stepping down from their duties into advisor roles before eventually leaving the company altogether. 

I really hope that Mad Cave Studios and their leader Max Ogle will continue to foster amazing series such as The Nightmare Brigade. I want young readers (and myself) to get closure with the characters in this book. Yet, there have been too many times when a great Indy series just stops due to lack of customer interest or worse, the creative or editorial teams just lose interest or faith in the project. Papercutz has really revitalized the graphic novel game in the past decade or so; first with titles that interest primarily girls and secondly by challenging both Marvel and DC to tap back into the kid-friendly graphic novel market. Hopefully, the efforts of the new owners will continue Papercutz amazing legacy instead of cutting them off at the knees. 

Only time will tell.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Loud House (2017 FCBD) (Family Comic Friday)

With it being the first week of school, I just didn't have time to read a new book for this week's review. Not to fret. I've got a stack of books that I've read but yet to review. 

The book I chose from my pile is a 2017 Free Comic Book Day offering from Papercutz and the kid friendly cable network, Nickelodeon. Based on the long running animated series of the same name, The Loud House is the story of young Lincoln Loud. Lincoln is the only boy and middle child of a family of 11 kids. That means Lincoln has 5 older sisters and 5 younger sisters.

Being the only boy in the family is hard. He never gets into the bathroom. He has to wait forever to use the phone. And when it comes to watching anything he wants on TV; forget it! At least Lincoln gets his own room. But life in a house full of 10 sisters is anything but serene. 

The premise of this series has Lincoln breaking the fourth wall to tell viewers (or in the case of this comic book, readers) how chaotic things can be. To get a little peace and quiet, or just the upper hand, Lincoln schemes and plans. Past capers have involved Lincoln working to get the best seat on the family van and trying to survive a zombie-like flu that is wiping out Loud siblings one by one. 

Don't think just because this freebie was from 2017 that fans of the show won't be able to enjoy the comic antics of Lincoln and his sisters. Papercutz has released 18 graphic novels based on the Loud House with the latest volume released just this summer!

The Loud House was an adorable book. I felt like Lincoln Loud was a mix of Kevin McCallister and Bart Simpson without any of the real obnoxious bits. Those elements are for his 10 sisters. Even though his 10 sisters drive Lincoln crazy, deep down, they love each other and if someone was to hassle brother Loud, the Loud sisters would bring down some swift vengeance. That's because the only one that gets to pick on Lincoln is his sisters!

A must for fans of the series.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Nightmare Brigade, Vol. 2: Into the Woods (Family Comic Friday)

Rarely after I read something do I go online to buy the sequel at full price. I mean, I've gone online to buy follow-up pieces before. But I'm a bargain hunter and I am willing to wait for a deal. Not this time!

Last month I read and reviewed the first volume of the French comic The Nightmare Brigade. As I was rushing to get the book returned to my local library, I didn't treat it as a Family Comic Friday offering. I saw it on the new shelf in the kids graphic novel section at the library. From reading the back cover I knew that this was going to be a different kind of read. But I didn't expect to be blown away by the amazing storytelling of the first volume!

When I got to the last page, I was incensed! The first volume, which collected English translations of the first two issues, closed on a cliff hanger! I couldn't believe it! The revelation made on that very last page is what made me research when the second book was coming out. Thankfully, I learned on the Papercutz website that my wait would only be a month. And as I said, I immediately ordered me a copy of book 2!

When we left the residents of the sleep clinic, amnesiac Esteban learned the truth about his missing past. To begin this volume, Esteban awakens to find he's home??? The man and woman who own the house claim to be his parents and that Esteban's time at Doctor Albert Angus' facility was a delusion. If that's all true, where are the rest of the Nightmare Brigade?

Heading to the clinic, Esteban finds it overrun by the performers of a strange circus. The clinic staff have been held hostage. Friends Tristan and Sarah are missing and Dr. Angus has been drugged and placed inside the sleep chamber. Even worse, the evil patient Leonard appears to be freed from his cell and running the whole operation!

As with volume 1, this book reprints 2 issues of the French series. With how trippy and twisty the first segment was, I was seriously wondering if my love for this series was premature. I had imagined this was what the movie Inception was like, if I had seen the film. But by the time I finished the second story, I realized that my wavering faith in The Nightmare Brigade was premature. 

I can personally attest that all of the mysteries that were put forth in the first volume are answered in this edition. I wondered if such a move by author Franck Thilliez might have been a mistake. Yet by the end of the book, there's about a half dozen more riddles that need solving. They've got me hooked again! But this time, I don't have a clue when they're gonna release book 3!

The horror!

Neither Amazon nor publisher Papercutz has a recommended age group for this book. Therefore, I'm going to have the recommendation myself. I would say based on the scary characters, the intense physiological mystery and the occasional mild swear, readers who are in grades 4th-7th should have no trouble enjoying this book. Though I wouldn't be surprised if young adult readers as well as parents and guardians become as obsessed as I am with the Nightmare Brigade. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Nightmare Brigade, Vol. 1: The Girl From Deja Vu

I've never seen the movie. But I from what I've heard and read about it, I really think that today's book is Inception for kids!

Dr. Angus runs a sleep clinic that specializes in nightmares. With the help of his wheelchair bound son Tristan and the mysterious Estoban, a doe-eyed boy with amnesia, Dr. Angus is able to dig deep into the psyche of his patients. Literally!

Thanks to computers, a special wrist device and hi-tech communications, Dr. Angus has created a way for the two boys to physically enter the dreams of others. In this dream world, Tristan can walk again and Estoban can walk through solid objects. Once the dreamer begins their REM cycle, the boys have 20 minutes to solve what is behind the patients nightmares or they will be trapped until the next sleep cycle. Good thing that every 1 minute of REM sleep in reality is equal to 1 hour of time in the dream realm.

The next patient Tristan and Estoban are assigned to help is a teen girl named Sarah. She's been having this recurring dream of being chased by angry adults. Each night Sarah dreams, the number of children dwindle. With only Sarah and a couple of other kids left, if the Nightmare Brigade doesn't act soon, Sarah might become trapped within her own mind. But why does Estoban, who has no idea who he really is, have a funny feeling that he's met Sarah before?

The Nightmare Brigade is a French comic story that began in 2018. Only this year has the series been translated into English and become available in the States thanks to Papercutz. It's been a while since I have really gotten into a new young adult series. But the Nightmare Brigade has really captured my attention! Gosh darn it that I'm going have to wait an unknown amount of time for the promised volume 2!

Being a French series, there's a few minor things that might not be appropriate for American young readers. In Sarah's dream, one of the remaining teenagers smokes. With how cigarettes and tobacco paraphernalia being erased from old TV shows and movies, such an act is considered unimaginable in today's family media. But in Europe, the fervor against tobacco is nowhere near that of Yankee opinions.

This series can also be considered a bit intense. There's a second story in this volume in which a boy has recurring nightmares of tourists turning to stone. There's a monstrous creature behind the scenes and that's one scary looking entity! I'm reminded of the Weeping Angels of Doctor Who!

Amazon rates this book as being for readers in grades 3-7. School Library Journal recommends this book for those in grades 5 and up. Based on the fear factor and some intense situations involving a one of the clinic's long-term care patients, I'm going say that I think the latter might be on to something with their reading recommendations. 

One of the most cerebral series for middle-schoolers I have read in a very long time. There's a ton of mysteries waiting to be explored with The Nightmare Brigade. I just hope Papercutz hurries up with Vol. 2. I've got to know what happens next! 

UPDATE: Thankfully, I won't have to wait long. Thanks to a trip to Papercutz' website, I leanrned Vol. 2 drops next month!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Brina the Cat #1: The Gang of the Feline Sun (Family Comic Friday)

Hey there, cat lovers! Family Comic Friday is proud to introduce to you Brina the Cat! This Italian import is the newest feline superstar to come your way from Papercutz!

Brina the Cat #1: The Gang of the Feline Sun
Written by Giorgio Salati
Art by Christian Cornia
Published by Papercutz
Pages: 88
Retail: $14.99

Brina is a city cat. She has traveled to the mountains for a holiday with her people, Sam and Marge. Brina enjoys some minor freedom, roaming the backyard to the cottage her masters have rented. But when she meets a one-eyed wild cat name Vespucci, Brina begins to hear the call of the wilderness.

Running away from home, Brina learns what it means to be independent. This freedom means scrounging for your next meal, fighting off predators and angry humans, and trusting in the other members of your new family. In this case, it's Vespucci and his followers; the Gang of the Feline Sun! But is this truly the independent lifestyle that Brina yearns for? 

Brina the Cat is a new series brought to you by Papercutz. Brina's debut first saw print in 2018 in her creator, Giorgio Salati's native Italy. Now Brina and her owners come to you in this fantastic English translation! 

The interesting thing about this story was how evenly balanced this story was between Brina and her human owners. Lots of these type of stories about a pet's desire to live 
unencumbered usually focuses on just the pets. You might get a scene or two in which the humans are quite sad over the disappearance of their beloved animal. But the story is mostly from the eyes of the pets. Not here!

Giorgio Salati shows the reader the anguish of owners Sam and Marge as they desperately try to find Brina. This really helps the reader to  desire that Brina and her family ultimately reunite. Showing the story from the human's perspective adds a layer to depth to the story. Just as Brina meets an assortment of animals on her venture, Sam and Marge meet some interesting characters as they search for their missing sweetheart. Showing both the pet and owner sides of the story make for a very satisfying ending!

(Speaking of which, read all the way to the very back cover for a much needed and appreciated secret final scene to this adventure!)

I wish I could say that this was the purr-fect graphic novel starring cats. But there were a couple of scenes of animal cruelty that really stung. I understand that the writer felt that he needed to add those scenes to help make the reader more sympathetic to a couple of the characters. However with a suggested readership of ages 8-12, those scenes could be considered too intense for young readers

If the young reader in your life can't stand to view those ASPCA commercials in which Sarah Mclachlan sings while showing images of mistreated puppies, then this book may not be right fit just now. Or you could use this book as a teachable moment to teach about the proper care of a pet. Maybe Brina and company will even inspire you to adopt a kitty or doggie in need of a forever home!

Papercutz has introduced families to a variety of cats over the years. From the pusses in the work's of Smurfs' creator Peyo to the meatloaf known as Sushi in the adventures of Cazenove and Richez's Cat  and Cat, Brina the Cat is the newest star of the Papercutz family. With a second volume debuting in stores this Summer, be sure to make Brina a part of your graphic novel family today!

Brina the Cat #1: The Gang of the Feline Sun debuted in print and digital formats on January 14th, 2020.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Case of the Missing Adults! (Family Comic Friday)

There’s nothing like a good mystery to read in anticipation of Halloween! It always helps to have a great detective to solve it! Family Comic Friday has not one, not two, but three classic sleuths on hand to solve this conundrum! Just us, along with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, as we solve The Case of the Missing Adults!

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Case of the Missing Adults!
Written by Scott Bryan Wilson
Art by Bob Solanovicz
Colors by Valentina Briski
Published by Dynamite Entertainment
Pages: 108
Retail: $12.99

Bayport High School has a new student. Welcome Ms. Nancy Drew! Only her first day of school is a strange one as all of the school’s teachers and adult staff have disappeared!
In fact- all of the adults of the surrounding town of Bayport have vanished as well!

On the case are the brothers Joe and Frank Hardy! Can these amateur gumshoes find out the truth behind all these missing grown-ups? Maybe if the two siblings can stop fighting each other long enough over all the silly stuff bros fight over! Okay- probably not! It’s a good thing Nancy Drew is along to help solve this mystery too!

I really enjoyed this reboot of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew! All of your favorite companions are along for the ride; including Chet, Biff, Ned and Callie. The Case of the Missing Adults is a massive team-up of epic proportions for fans of Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon.

Taking over the writing duties for those legendary authors is Scott Bryan Wilson (Batman). Wilson peppers in a hearty amount of humor and science in this graphic novel for readers 9-12 years of age. Sure, this book is rather silly at times, but there’s a fairly solid mystery involving missing parents and self-moving skeleton!

Don’t worry! The skeleton isn’t scary. But there is one clue in this mystery that never got solved. It involves the constant smell of the insides of a water pistol. Was that part of the mystery a red herring? Or did Scott Bryan Wilson take a page out of fellow mystery writer Dashell Hammett’s playbook and he forgot to get around to that piece of evidence?

So not all of the dots to this story connect. But The Mystery of the Missing Adults was an enjoyable read! The artwork and coloring was quite good and the antics of the brothers Hardy and Nancy Drew was enough for me to overlook it. Though I really want to know just what the inside of a water pistol smells like!!! Maybe some further adventures of these teen detectives will reveal that oversight!

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Missing Adults will debut in digital 
formats on October 23rd, 2019. Hardcover copies will hit stores on November 5th.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Barbie #1 (Family Comic Friday)

Fashion and toy icon Barbie makes her triumphant return to comics in this week’s Family Comic Friday. With a revolutionary production format by Papercutz, this new series looks to attract fans both new and old. It’s a crazy idea that just might be what other publishers need in order to save the comic book industry! Well, it would work, if the publisher executed it right...

Barbie #1

Written by Sarah Kuhn
Art by Alitha Martinez
Jim Salicrup, Editor
Published by Papercutz
Retail Price: $3.99

In this new series, Barbie is an aspiring fashion designer. She is set to be assistant to a top designer at their new fashion show. But something’s missing! Barbie wants to impress this clothing guru and to do so, she’s going to have to create an outfit that will stand out amongst the crowd. To create the ultimate outfit, Barbie just needs to find her own style. And that’s going to be hard, because everything she comes up with looks just like those designs of her new boss!

‘Want to know the rest of the story? Fans of Barbie will not have to wait for the next issue as Papercutz has gone the route of digital streaming TV! Along with readers being able to buy the individual issues of Barbie monthly in stores, for a little extra money, they can buy the entire story in collected form! It’s this sort of choice that just might save the comic book industry!’

The above paragraph is what I wanted to say about the new Barbie series, based on introduction to this comic from editor Jim Salicrup (Tales From The Crypt). Salicrup entices readers to get the whole story in the pages of Barbie #1: Fashion Superstar which is currently on sale. What Salicrup fails to mention is that this story has been in stores for almost 3 years! Not only is this issue of Barbie based on a reprint story, if you were to buy issues 1 and 2 of this new Barbie series, you’d actually spend a dollar more on cover price than if you bought the graphic novel!

Sales of comic books is way down. There’s a number of factors to this. While a number of my colleagues at Outrightgeekery have been publishing articles on this alarming trend, I’ve decided to stay out of the debate. But what Papercutz was initially offering is so revolutionary that I felt I must sing its praises in hopes that other publishers take note. Unfortunately, while Papercutz had a great idea, they’ve executed everything wrong.

The idea of spending a little extra for the whole story right away has been a major selling point for TV channels touting their new digital services. This sort of idea is something that I think the comic book industry needs to adopt. One complaint is that individual issues are too expensive to purchase monthly or bi-weekly. I know I was digging deep into my change drawer to be able to afford the $3.99 plus tax for this issue in order to review it. So anything that could be done to offset such costs and save comic books from extinction is a good thing!

What Papercutz and the other publishers out there need to do is as follows:

1. Publish simultaneously both the first individual issue of a series or storyline as well as the collected version.
2. 24 hours before the books physically drop, release the digital versions of both.
3. In terms of price point- the digital versions need to be priced higher. If you want to be first to read something, you’ve got to pay for it. And there are those out there who will because they have to be the go-to person for info! It’s a fact of life.

• The paper collection will of course be higher as there is more paper involved and no ads.
• The individual issues need to be the cheapest option. It takes longer to collect as it only comes out on a 2-4 week basis. But with ads, the price point should be 50% cheaper than such an issue is now.

I have no problem with Papercutz releasing the Barbie #1 graphic novel as individual issues. But the cover prices collectively are higher than the book was when released new. The industry needs young readers- especially girls. Barbie is the right property to entice young female readers. But you’ve got to make it affordable for them to become customers.
I hate to say it, but if you want to read this story, go to Amazon or your local book store and buy the trade. As much as I want individual issue series to succeed, getting the first couple of issues of this ‘new’ series isn’t cost effective. However, I still feel that Papercutz has hit upon a novel idea- they just didn’t get a bullseye to make it happen!

In terms of the story and artwork, it is ideal for readers of all-ages. Sarah Kuhn (Clueless: Senior Year) formulates a story that is sophisticated in the level of work Barbie does to impress her fashion hero while using vocabulary that is pretty easy to read. I’m quite jealous of Batgirl’s Alitha Martinez and her artwork in this story. Barbie is a Mattel property and the toy manufacturer is pretty specific on how the blonde doll should look. Martinez does an astounding job of making each image of Barbie and her friend Liz look like they were still mint in package on a toy store shelf!

Barbie #1 is a comic that fans of all ages will delight too. I recommend that if you are wanting to buy this for a young fan, get them the graphic novel that is already on shelves and more economical. Barbie also has fans that must have everything with her image on it. If that’s you, then getting this issue is the next logical purchase for your Barbie collection.

Barbie #1 debuted in print on February 27th, 2019. Barbie #1: Fashion Superstar debuted in 2016 and is available in print and digital formats such as Kindle.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Three Stooges, Volume 1: Bed-Bugged!

In 2012, the Farrelly Brothers, directors of Dumb and Dumber, released a reboot of The Three Stooges. Starring Sean Hayes, Will Sasso, and Chris Diamantopoulos, the film was expected to be a smash hit. While the movie did bring in about $20 million more than it's production budget, based on expectations, the film was not a major success. (Oddly enough, a sequel is supposed to be in the works. But whether it will be a box office release or go straight to DVD is another matter.)

To cash in on the predicted buzz, Papercutz purchased the rights to not only create all-new Stooges comics, but the reproduction rights of the Dell Comics series from the 1960s. For the publisher, the move was a mixed bag of success. The Best of the Three Stooges Comics Books, Volumes 1 and 2 were critical hits. Fans who grew up watching the Stooges as kids and read the comics, snatched up these collections. They're actually pretty hard to find now. 

On the flip side, Papercutz released 2 volumes of new material to coincide with the Farrelly Brothers film. They didn't do as well as while the comics were marketed to kids, the film was a little too adult for them. As a result, these books have ended up at discount outlets over the years, which is where I found this book.

Bed-Bugged is filled with several short stories of the Stooges either taking on menial jobs and failing miserably or attempting to cash in on get rich schemes. Written by Jim Salicrup and George Gladir, these adventures include training to become sumo wrestlers, guarding a shopping mall from a horde of zombies, creating a haunted house in what very well may be a haunted house. Archie Comics legend Stan Goldberg illustrates all of these stories, such as the title story in which the Stooges are pest control workers. Also included as is a reprinted story from the 1960s written and illustrated by Norman Maurer, who coincidentally was married to Moe's real life daughter, Joan Howard.

The 1960s story was the best. Only instead of starring Larry, Moe, and Curly, this tale featured Shemp. By the time that story was published, Curly had passed away and Shemp was long gone. Instead, by this time new Stooges adventures were being created with someone named Curly Joe. Why wasn't he in this story instead of Shemp?

And why am I complaining? I love Shemp. My Yahoo! handle is a blotched tribute amalgam of my favorites Stooge's name and also my favorite bounty hunter. I guess it's just the comic book historian in me.

Normally with a book like this, the rating I give would not pursuade me to buy volume 2. But volume 2 is holiday themed and since I have a collection holiday comics, whether good or bad, the sequel is on my wish list. 

A okay read that is entertaining but not 100% my Stooges. Well, that last story is, at least.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

The Lunch Witch: Knee-deep in Niceness (Family Comic Friday)

     The Lunch Witch returns in this 2016 graphic novels from Papercutz.

     Grunhilda's last adventure left her heart just a little extra cheery and for a witch, that's not a good thing. Her pesky ancestors aren't happy about it and they aren't afraid to let the Lunch Witch know about it, as they constantly bang on her floor with brooms. It hopes of smoothing things over, the Lunch Witch's dog Mr. Williams tries to make her heart a little less nice. But a mistake ends up making the Lunch Witch's hometown of Salem insanely nice- including her. With the clock ticking, the ancestors and the Lunch Witch's pets must find her and reverse the spell or she and the whole city will be sickly sweet and nice forever!

     Deb Lucke has struck gold again with the Lunch Witch: Knee-deep in Kindness. Her grotesque artwork, dark humor, and sense of adventure has created a world that is both fun and a little spooky. When I was a kid, there were a series of books called Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. They were tongue-in-cheek and just a tad frightening. But it was a good scary that kids in grades 3 and up. That's this series to a tee.

      I've read recently that Saturday Night Live actress Kate McKinnon has been tapped to play Grunhilda in a live-action film based on the first book. I hope they keep the whimsy and charm of the books and don't turn it into another blockbusting disaster like The Grinch or the Cat In the Hat. Hopefully, they won't make it too dark for kids.

       If your child are fans of Lemony Snicket or Harry Potter, then why aren't you letting them read the Lunch Witch? It's a great series that is very underrated. But that's going to chance when the movie comes out sometime next year. So, get on that band wagon today.

     Worth Consuming

     Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Rabbids (2015 Free Comic Book Edition) (Family Comic Friday)

 The Rabbids, those lovable rabbit scamps from video and cartoon fame headline this 2015 Free Comic Book collection from Papercutz. The Rabbids are kinda like the Minions of Despicable Me. They have grandiose ideas that often come to terrible but hilarious failures. I laughed out loud several times at their antics. So much that I was actually disappointed that this book wasn’t 100% just about the Rabbids.

    Included in this preview comic is a 3-D animated space adventure starring Garfield and Odie, a Smurfs story that introduces Gargamel’s twin brother, and a very funny yarn starring Ariol, the french donkey schoolboy with a heart of gold and a desperate need to complete his sticker collection.

    All of these series can be found either at bookstores, libraries, or Amazon. I highly recommend all 4 books. But the Rabbids were my favorite. True- they don’t speak but they were so funny. It’s one of the few times I didn’t have a problem with a wordless comic. That’s a major compliment from a rabid comic book fans such as myself.

   Worth Consuming

  Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.