The Big Book of Weirdos

Technically this book was a re-read. Only I read this book years ago. Long before I started to keep a reading journal. The first time I encountered this book was when I was living in Durham NC, after having just got married. So at most, I read this book for the first time 25 years ago. The Big Book of Weirdos was one of the Durham Public Library Main Branch's few honest-to-God graphic novels placed in the graphic novel section of the library. In those days, if you went looking for graphic novels at the library, you were lucky if you could find something other than Garfield and Bloom County on the shelves.

This book written by Carl Posey examines the lives of famous people we collectively think of as rather strange, like Howard Hughes, depraved, such as Rasputin and Caligula, or rather terrifying, such as Ivan the Terrible. However, the majority of the book is made up of people who had underlying mental illness brought about the abuse of drugs and alcohol or those whose lives spiraled out of control because they lived in an age of primitive mental health practices or were surrounded by 'yes men'. Occasionally, there's a subject or two of which my grandmother would classify as 'just damn mean.'

This is the 6th book from Paradox Press that I now own. I love these treasuries of various subjects that are given the short story sequential art treatment by multiple talents. In this edition, Rick Geary, Batton Lash, Kieron Dwyer and Frank Quietly are among over 5 dozen talented artists who contributed. There's about 8 more books in the series out there that I hope to one day get my hands on.

Though I haven't read them all yet, The Big Book of Weirdos is one of more spicier books. Sex, murder, cheating, corruption are just some of the seven deadly sins being broken in this book. And that's not to mention the 10 Commandments, of which at least 13 are broken by the artists, politicians and socialites whose alternative lifestyles are examined inside.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Big Book of Urban Legends (A Madman Re-Read)

This is a re-read for me. 

The Big Book of Urban Legends is a collection of the best of the best tales told from a friend of a friend. The vanishing hitchhiker. Mikey from Life Cereal commercials died eating pop rocks and coke. The madman under the car waiting to slice the ankles of ladies putting their groceries in their car. And dozens upon dozens more.

And let's talk about the art talent. Arthur Adams (Fantastic Four), Fred Hembeck (Fred Hembeck Destroys the Marvel Universe), Trina Robbins (Wonder Woman) and so many more. 

One thing I didn't realize until reading this again is that the artists did not write the scripts. The book itself comes from noted folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand (Curses! Broiled Again!) It's so amazing how varied the storytelling was. I did not originally suspect that one writer was involved.

A great read. I'm not known for reading very many things one than once. That I read this over 200 page collection once more speaks volumes. 

Out of print. But still on Amazon! If you love Urban Legends- this is a must read!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Big Book of Urban Legends

 

  The escaped mental patient hiding in the backseat...
    Alligators living in the sewers of New York...
    The woman who microwaved her dog in the microwave...
   
     Urban legends. We've all heard of these stories. Whether we've told these stories around a glowing campfire or heard that these really happened (to a friend of a friend), our culture is filled with these stories. Some tales have were born from a bit of truth. Others are steeped in our fears or prejudices. But no matter where these urban legends came from, they've become a little bit of a guilty pleasure of mine.
     I found the Big Book of Urban Legends in a bargain bin in one of my favorite local comics shops. I've been a fan of the Big Book series, published by now defunct DC Comics imprint Paradox Press, for quite some time and when I can find one to complete my collection, I rarely hesitate to own one. Maybe I'm biased but this one just happened to have a little bit of a special history for me.
    The Big Book of Urban Legends was written by noted folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand. My mother, a lover of Gothic horror in her own right, just happened to own a trio of books devoted to urban legends and these books coincidentally were written by Brunvand!
     I remember one rainy weekend that I found my mom's copies and read them- no I devoured them! Some were scary. Some were weird. Some were even titillating. But above all, they were all captivating. As a result, I became a fan of urban legends and this was a fun trip down memory lane for me in a way.
    This collection features dozens of artists who tackled their favorite myths. Legends such as Joe Orlando, Dick Giordano, and Keith Griffin are just some of the talent found in this volume of over 200 different legends. Even this Madman's fan favorite Fred Hembeck illustrates a yarn about a car enthusiast and his jealous wife.  
      The Big Book of Urban Legends was a fun read. The only problem I have with it is that I didn't wait until closer to Halloween to read it and October just seems to me to be the perfect time to read urban legends and myths. But let's be honest folks, stories like the Vanishing Hitchhiker in which someone picks up a lonely girl on the side of a road only to learn she died years earlier, are NOT urban legends. Those are ghost stories and they deserved their own Big Book. But hey, it's still fun to read and maybe get a little freaked out.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
   

The Big Book of the Weird Wild West

How much would you be willing to pay for a Western anthology series featuring the artwork of legends such as Dick Giordano, Joe Orlando, Marie Severin, Paul Kuppenberg, Joe Staton, and many, many more? 

 

$50? $75? $100? What if I told you that all of these comic legends could be bought for $14.95 or less? 

   Featuring the writing talents of John Whalen (Un-Men), Rick Klaw (Wild West Show), and others, the Big Book of the Weird Wild West contains dozens of short stories about the oddest lawmen, dumbest outlaws, and strangest habits of the old west that Hollywood and the history books just don't you about. 

   This book was published by Paradox Press, a short-lived imprint of DC Comics from the 1990s. Paradox published a number of anthologies like this one in which each volume was devoted to the odd, the strange, the macabre, and the just plain weird. I love the Factoid Books series. For a history buff than loves his world the weirder the better, these books are the perfect fun reads in sequential art form.

   But as these are books about true events, the Factoid Books or 'Big Books' do not sugarcoat their reports. A little titillating, sometimes gory, and filled with adult themes and language, these books from Paradox are suited for the Vertigo Comics crowd. In other words: for teens and older. 

   I found this copy when I was working at the book sale at my local library. But volumes of this series can be found on Amazon for good prices. You might also come across these books at your favorite used book shop. These are treasured gems in my graphic novel collection and for some reason you can almost always find a copy or two at your local comics shop usual for half off cover or better.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.