Droopy #1

From 1995, Dark Horse Comics gave tribute to the legendary cartoon creator Tex Avery! To do that Dark Horse presented a 3-issue miniseries starring the sad sack pooch, Droopy.

The main story is a parody of Universal's Frankenstein, Dr. Droopy has created a mighty monster as a companion for his creation known as 'The Beauty'. Unfortunately, the behemoth doesn't work because it doesn't have a brain. But where can a mad scientist find a brain in the dead of night? Thankfully, a weary traveler has just knocked on the door looking for dry clothes and a phone!

The backup story stars a character called Screwball Squirrel. In his yarn, he's decided to befriend a fellow passenger on a train. Sadly for the traveler, Screwball Squirrel is the world's worst best friend!

I wasn't familiar with Screwball Squirrel. But I love Droopy. He always manages to make me laugh with his wah-wah voice and funny little waddle. And no matter what, he just always comes out on top. But in the numerous shorts I've seen Droopy in, he was always the hero. Technically, as a mad scientist, Droopy is the villain.

Though not taking place during Halloween, I counted this as part of my holiday reads because of the other 2 books in the series. Issue #2 is a Thanksgiving set adventure and #3 is Christmas. I happened to get all 3 issues earlier this year just to read them for the 2024 holidays. So expect to see Droopy and friends again real soon.

With an essay on his short stint working with Tex Avery, Scott Shaw! gives readers a glimpse at a forgotten part of the animation legends time at Hanna-Barbera during the twilight years of Avery's life and career. It's an interesting read that proves Shaw! is a gifted storyteller. I'd love to read an autobiography of his 50 plus years in television and comics.

Lots of fun! Though I would have liked 2 Droopy stories instead of the very hyper Screwball Squirrel story that frankly tired me out a little bit.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Tick 20th Anniversary Special #1(2022 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

One bright shiny day at the Brockton, Massachusetts location of New England Comics, a lanky young man places a sketch on the store wall. At the request of one of the store managers, Ben Edlund submitted a portrait of an all-new costumed character called The Tick. Is he a hero? Is he a villain? Nobody knows because this was a character that Edlund came up with spur of the moment. 

A few weeks later, Edlund is asked to flesh out the character into a 3-page tale that would appeal the 14th and 15th volume of the New England Comics Newsletter (July-August & September-October 1986). The character was a hit with customers who quickly demanded more adventures. 

Seeing an opportunity in the burgeoning Indy comics craze of the mid-80s, NEC signed a deal with Edlund to create a new comic series based on the Tick. Originally, Tick was designed wearing a furry brown costume. But a fan vote updated the character into a sleek, navy blue uniform with animated antenna. Ben's dad helped to design the logo while the minuscule printing company Associated Printers (later Morgan Printing Inc.) jumped into the realm of comic book fabrication for the very first time. It took about 2 years, and with the Indy comic bubble having burst, about a dozen distributors, but the Tick #1 was shipped out to fans and nationwide comic sellers in 1988. Fingers were collectively crossed.

And the Tick was an immediate hit!

Jump forward to 2006 (or 2007 according to the publication date) and New England Comics was celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the creation of the Tick! A beloved animated series on Fox Kids, a cult-classic short lived live series on Fox, a secret fan club, and dozens of comic books and tons of merch later and the Tick still thrived. Naturally, it was time for a tribute one-shot. 

With The Tick 20th Anniversary Special, NEC culled from the numerous talented writers and artists who had previously worked on the character as well as other members of the Tick universe. The Man-Eating Cow, the Chainsaw Vigilante, and sidekick Arthur are among those who make appearances. (But where's Paul the Samurai?!) Creator Ben Edlund along with his dad, crafted a new 4-page center spread story that some consider the epilogue of the long-delayed Tick #13. And non-associated talent such as Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT), Scott Shaw! (Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew) and Fred Hembeck (Dateline: @#$%) make contributions as well!

While the grab bag of work is a mix of brilliant tributes and sorely-lacking fantasy, the price of admission is the lengthy articles that dig into the early history of The Tick. I really learned a lot and since the print was ultra small, I felt like I read a coffee table book's worth of comic book history. And eye strain to boot!

While I wasn't a big fan of the tributes, I definitely want more Tick. I also want to complete my collection of Tick back issues. If this book was meant to be an smorgsabord of Tick bites, it definitely whet my appetite and a trip to NEC's online Tick store is in my future.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #7 (Already in Your Collection) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Wild Animals #1

This book is made by Scott Shaw!, who’ll eventually go on to co-create Captain Carrot. I found this book in a dollar box at a comic con a while back. I just recently remembered it and decided to give it a read.

The comic starts off with a story that begins in the middle. That’s because the first chapter took place in a comic that I neither have nor ever heard of. This book in question in over 30 years old by a publisher that I suspect hasn’t been in business for at least 20 of those years. I highly doubt I’d even come across the title on eBay! Plus, this book had a fairly decent recount of what I missed, so I will overlook this pet peeve.

That story is a rough parody of King Kong with a twist of Godzilla and a dash of Japanese racism. It’s pretty corny. In the rest of this book are about 30 one-page comics that range from stupid to extremely gut-busting funny. Then on the back cover is a pictorial of American presidents portrayed as a variety of animals. It’s an odd rendering, yet a few of those work, like Nixon as a jack ass and Polk as a cold fish.

I wasn’t terribly impressed with this book but I spent only a buck on it. I can see why they only made the one issue. The cover, as you can see is strange and that sums up this book quite well. It’s a strange look at the comic book genre known as “funny animals.”

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.