Batman '66, Volume 5

You look at the cover and you're probably saying 'Batman '66 never fought against Solomon Grundy or Clayface!' However, you have to remember that this DC comics webseries turned comic book is supposed to be an imagining of what could have been if ABC never destroyed the sets and NBC picked up Batman for a fourth season!

Plus, you would be wrong in your assumptions about Grundy and perhaps Clayface. If you are like me and you remember the awesomely terrible Legends of the Superheroes and the even worse sequel, the Adam West Batman along with the Burt Ward Robin went up against Solomon Grundy, played by character actor Mickey Morton. Plus, it's a fan theory that the one-shot villain False Face, played by heavy Malachi Thorne, was in fact Basil Karloff, the first Clayface! Well, thanks to Jeff Parker, that theory became reality with a story that sees False Face falling into a polluted swamp and becoming the Matt Hagen version of Clayface!

This volume is sadly the last volume collection of Batman '66 stories. Thus, I think with cancellation on the horizon, the creative team got a chance to give their wildest wishes a chance to get the Batman '66 treatment. Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Bane all make debuts. I loved every page, though there was just a little too much of Marsha, Queen of Diamonds. She's in 2 issues!!! I'd rather give Shame or the Minstrel another chance to shine.

There's a great story where Barbara Gordon takes a temp job at an ad agency that gets held hostage by the Big Four: Catwoman, Joker, Riddler and the Penguin. They want the ad execs to create a campaign, changing their reputation as villains. Unable to change into Batgirl, Barbara has to use her wits and the baddies' hubris to play the antagonists against each other. It's a brilliant story that doesn't see any capes!

Unfortunately, we never get a Batman '66/Superman '52 team-up. Though we come really close in the last issue! The Allred Family wrap up the series with a brilliant tale that reveals true story behind the battle Batman and Robin undertake in the animated sequence performed every episode, during the show's theme song. Towards the very end, we get an amazing cameo of George Reeves' Clark Kent, as well as several other appearances by characters who might have existed in the '66 universe. 

This volume wraps up my having read everything tied into the classic 60s TV version of the Caped Crusader.  I still have a Wonder Woman '77 team up with the Bionic Woman and some of the other more recent releases to go. But hopefully we'll get some more adventures of the Gothamites of 1966. I can understand DC wanting a cooling off period to not over-saturate the brand. But the number of devotees to that show are dwindling. We're not getting any younger. Here's to hoping we don't have to wait until 2066 for further adventures...

Worth Consuming!

Rating 9 out of 10 stars.

The Lisa Book (The Simpsons Library of Wisdom)

I've read several books in the Simpsons Library of Wisdom series and they're a lot of fun. This one stars Lisa; essentially the morale compass of not just her Simpson clan but the town of Springfield. In other words, Lisa Simpson isn't that funny. 

That's not to say that Lisa is a total stick in the mud. She's rather complex. She can be completely serious. But she's also known to have teamed with her brother Bart and gone completely bonkers  begging father Homer to go to a water park, visit Itchy & Scratchy Land and install a backyard swimming pool.

Every Simpsons Library of Wisdom book has a recurring theme. For Bart, its mischief. For bartender Moe, it's self-loathing and a surprising devotion for little Maggie Simpson. With Lisa, her theme seems to be high brow culture mixed with a crush on any teen superstar named Corey and a desperate desire to own a pony.

There was one part of this book that I absolutely objected to. It was a look at artifacts from the Lisa Simpson presidency. But Lisa's administration takes place in the future. How could they be here now when you this book very much reads like the scrapbook of Lisa when she's 8-years old. I know that this was a work of fiction. But having such an anachronism really makes that OCD area of my brain itch like a bad case of poison ivy!

Not my favorite volume of the series. Not terrible. But it's got a lot of droll, high brow references. If I was going for such, I'd watch a marathon of Frasier and those bourgeois references are why I couldn't watch it. Maybe I'll keep it. Maybe I'll sell it for some valuable trade credit. I'm really going have to think on this a while...

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

The Batman Adventures #21 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Famed biological researcher, Dr. Emile Dorian had escaped from Arkham Asylum. Placed there by Batman and Selina Kyle, Dorian first plans tortuous revenge and then to biologically alter the DNA of the Dark Knight and Catwoman. To capture the pair, Dorian visits Dr. Kirk Langstrom, where the evil scientist injects Langstrom with a new version of the Man-Bat serum. 

Now under Dorian's control, Man-Bat succeeds in capturing Batman first. In the meantime, a mysterious figure has traveled to Dorian's island compound where he meets Tygrus, a mutated cat creature that fell in love with Selena. The stranger turns out to be a werewolf and he's hoping Dorian can do something to reverse the man's lupine curse. Tygrus agrees to help the desperate man and they travel to Gotham to find Dorian.

Tygrus and his new friend first go to Selena Kyle's apartment. There, they witness Man-Bat kidnapping the woman and they follow them to Dorian's new lair. When they approach Dorian, the biologist agrees to help both the reluctant werewolf as well as Tygrus. Seeing that Tygrus desperately wants to be with Kyle, Dorian decides to help his creation become human. Seeing the ultimate revenge, the scientist will conduct a brain swap between Tygrus and the Batman!

A sequel to the season 1 episode of Batman: The Animated Series 'Tyger, Tyger', this issue brings back all the major players along with the addition of the werewolf. Though it is not disclosed in this issue, the wolf man is Anthony Romulus, who first appeared in the season one episode 'Moon of the Wolf.'

Kelley Puckett was the writer. Artwork by Mike Parobek.

Completing this review completes Task #14 (Batman Comic from the 1990s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future #1 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

One of the top toys for boys in 1987 was the Captain Power line from Mattel. The idea of being able to basically play laser tag with friends using fighter ships and menacing robots was a dream come true for those of use who would play a similar type game with our X-Wings and TIE Fighters. For those of us who lived in more remote locations, the opportunity to play against a weekly television show was a godsend. If you were really lucky, you could play all the time against the show if you owned one of the 3 VHS recordings of the series. 

Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future was a live action/CGI series that aired for 22 episodes from 1987-88. The show was syndicated, meaning that some regions of the country might not have even aired the series. Some of those locations lucky enough to receive the dystopian sci-fi series, like WLFL-22 in Raleigh, NC, Captain Power aired on Sundays at the ungodly hour of 6:30am! 

For my 10th birthday, I received the XF-7 jet for my main present. Along with the toy which was essentially a light gun, came a - inch Captain Power pilot action figure and a training program video cassette. A month later, thousands of boys got their wish opening up similar flyer sets for Christmas. By that time, I had already figured out what a host of kids were about to find out- this toy sucked!

Each episode would have computer generated scenes in which Captain Jonathan Power and his band of human resistance fighters would fight against the evil robotic army lead by a thrift store version of Darth Vader called Lord Dread and the discount Skynet computer system he co-created and mentally fused with, OverMind. Both teams would have areas on their suits and ships that bared a shimmering red or golden light. The idea was during the battles on the TV, you played along shooting at the opposite team. If you accidentally shot an ally, you lost points. If your score went to zero, your figure would eject from the cockpit symbolizing your defeat.

Keep in mind, 1987-88 was a time where some homes still had black and white TVs. Not quite 50% of the population didn't have cable yet. There was no streaming. Satellite TV was for the very rich. If you didn't have crystal clear reception, many of your 'shots' wouldn't register. Or you would be accused of shooting an enemy, which during the training video, are nowhere to be found. I've heard reports that if you didn't have a color TV, your toy wouldn't even work with it. The ships went through batteries like worms through a goose. The only time that the toys worked decently was one-on-one play. At $33 a vehicle, you were lucky to find someone else that had another Captain Power vehicle to interact with. Being a household with both an XF-7 and Lord Dread's Phantom Striker was even scarce. So, for varying game play, you looked forward to the TV show. 

However, by Spring of 1988, most TV stations had stopped carrying the series. Parents found the concept of a robot apocalypse series geared at kids to be questionable subject matter. Human survivors were slaughtered with abandon by android hunters. The series faced criticism of being an allegory of Nazism and the Holocaust. And as holiday sale reports declared the toy line a failure, by March, Captain Power was a victim of cancellation and it's toys were clearance aisle fodder.

Unfortunately for Neal Adams, by the time his Continuity Comics had released it's first issue of a Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future comic book, the franchise was dead and buried. As a result, only 2 issues were published. Based J. Michael Straczynski's 2-part script, ' A Summoning of Thunder' reveals the origins of Captain Power, Lord Dread and what caused the Metal Wars that led to the near destruction of humanity. The most shocking revelation is that OverMind was co-created by Power's father, who spends the rest of his life leading the few remaining humans, including his son,  in a battle of man vs machine. 

Written and illustrated by Neal Adams with script assists by Peter Stone. Cover was also by Adams.

Completing this review completes Task #23 (Live Action Comic Adaptation from the 1980s or 90s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

The Partridge Family #16 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Inspired by the real life family singing group, the Cowsills, ABC's The Partridge Family rocked airwaves for 4 seasons, from 1970-1974. In fact, the child members of the Cowsills were originally considered for the sitcom. Officially, their lack of acting experience rules them out of contention. Unofficially, the prima donna antics of the Cowsills' manager, their father, William, might have doomed the children's chances at television stardom.

Once the Cowsills were ruled out of contention, singer and actress Shirley Jones was cast in the mom role. Oldest son Keith would be played by her stepson David Cassidy. There might have been even more of the Cassidy family, as David's father, Jack Cassidy was cast to play Mrs. Partridge's boyfriend who happened to be the Partridge Family's manager. The actor even co-starred in an un-aired pilot, but ABC executives decided to forgo the romance angle between the adults. Jack Cassidy's character was cut while David's role as eldest son Keith was beefed up to make him the romantic heavy as he tested extremely well with young viewers. 

David Cassidy's near Beatles level stardom made him the main focus of the series. By the time this issue hit newsstands, Cassidy was attempting to break out of the wholesome image of Keith Partridge. Maybe that explains why in the cover feature Keith puts his music career on hold and goes out for his high school basketball team. Unfortunately for the rest of the family, Keith is really good at basketball and that means everything else takes a backseat to his current passion- including the band!

Rounding out the rest of the family was Susan Dey as oldest daughter Laurie. Red headed Danny Bonaduce as the smart aleck Danny. Suzanne Crough as youngest daughter Tracy and on drums, Jeremy Gelbwaks as Chris. Not quite fitting in with the rest of the cast and reputedly the target of Danny Bonaduce's incessant bullying, Gelbwaks was replaced after season 1 with actor Brian Foster. 

Actor Dave Madden completed the cast as the band's manager, the long-suffering Reuben Kincaid. Instead of being Mrs. Partridge's love interest, young Danny Partridge would do everything in his power to set up his Reuben with a future Mrs. Kincaid. 

Reuben's role with the family has a lot to do with the plots of the 2 backup stories. First Keith falls head over heels for Reuben's visiting niece. So much that the lad wants to make her a part of the band. Only the girl cannot carry a tune! Then in the last story, it appears that Danny has finally succeeded at playing matchmaker, introducing Reuben to an old friend of Mrs. Partridge.

In the early 1970s, Charlton Comics was still relying on prose stories to help their comics maintain their affordable 2nd Class postage rates. In a clever spin on the requirement, this issue features a 2-page spread of lyrics to several songs that appear on the series. The spread doubled as advertising for a magazine called Song Hits, which reprinted the full lyrics of both crock classics and pop hits of the time. 

If you're a collector who enjoys reading the classic ads in back issues, you'll enjoy this one. But don't expect much of a variety. With the exception of the 3 pages devoted to Song Hits Magazine, all of the rest of the ads are about products pertaining to The Partridge Family and its cast. There's an ad for a beauty and lifestyle book written by Susan Dey, several ads for posters and photo books featuring David Cassidy and on the back cover, information about joining the official Partridge Family Fan Club. 

I was pretty lucky to find an issue that wasn't full of holes from a rabid fan clipping out dozens of requests for Partridge Family merchandise. When I inherited some of my mom's old horror and TV comics, I noticed that her issue of The Partridge Family was all cut up. I couldn't understand why she had left that book in such poor condition especially since she claimed to be a huge fan of the show. After reading through this issue, I now understand as almost every ad had a small order form included.

Featuring art stories by Don Sherwood, there's amazing likenesses of all of the Partridge Family. But I think Sherwood copied the images from publicity stills because many panels are of extreme close-ups and the poses are stilted. As for the stories themselves, they all start out very well in terms of plot and pace. But I think Sherwood was the type of comic book creator who just couldn't stop himself because all 3 stories end abruptly with no real sitcom style conclusion in which the dilemmas are adequately wrapped up. 

Add all these factors together and this issue reads less like an officially licensed comic book adaptation and more like the material for a fanzine.

Completing this review completes Task #22 (Live Action Comic Adaptation from the 1970s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

I Love Lucy Comics #34 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

During the last season of I Love Lucy, the Ricardos and the Mertz family moved to the suburbs of Connecticut. This helps to explain the setting of this issue's last story. A sudden snow storm makes it impossible for Ricky to get out of his driveway. Things get chaotic when the Ricardos' inventor neighbor turns their lawnmower into an ersatz snowplow.

One of the main plot points for I Love Lucy is Lucy's constant attempts at fame, often to disastrous effect. In the opener, Fred gets Ricky hired to perform at a dude ranch. In return for Lucy and Ethel tagging along, the girls have to work a few shifts at the check-in desk. When Lucy learns that a famous TV producer is visiting in hopes of researching a new Western series starring a woman cow hand, Lucy tries to show the exec that she's the only woman for the show! Spoiler- she really is not.

The middle story features the forgotten member of the Ricardo clan: Little Ricky! When Ricky and Lucy go on a ski trip, they take their son along. Being his first time skiing, Little Ricky is given a beginners level course on the bunny slopes. However when it's determined that the tyke is a natural skier, he runs laps around mom and dad!

I Love Lucy stopped producing new episodes in 1957, 4 years before this issue debuted on newsstands. A smattering of one-hour specials kept Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez on people's minds, but the reason I Love Lucy continued as a comic book published by Dell until 1962, 2 years AFTER Lucy and Desi divorced, was because I Love Lucy never left airwaves! 

Desi Arnez was a Hollywood executive genius. Being a Cuban entertainer, he had been screwed over by agents and movie execs before. So when he brokered the deal for I Love Lucy, Arnez made secure the rights to the series. This, along with the use of revolutionary high-quality 33-mm film helped ensure that I Love Lucy lived on in syndicated rerun history literally till the end of time. 

I Love Lucy Comics was not Lucy and Desi's first time in sequential art form. The show was tested out in 2 Dell Four Color issues (#535 and #559). Those two issues were retroactively numbered as the first two issues of the series. Before that, I Love Lucy was run as a daily newspaper comic strip from 1952-55 through King Features Syndicate. 

This would be the penultimate issue of the series. #35 (April, 1962) would be the final issue of I Love Lucy Comics. However, it would not be the end of Lucille Ball, nor the other cast members in comics. From 1963-64, Gold Key released 5 issues based on Ball's first post-divorce comedy, The Lucy Show, which costarred Vivian Vance who played Ethel on I Love Lucy. In 1990, Eternity Comics produced several Collector's Edition issues that reprinted stories from both the comic strip and Dell Comics catalog. 

Paul S. Newman is colloquially attributed as the series writer and artist. As it wasn't a common practice at that time for Dell Comics to give their creators any sort of by-line credit, it is possible that this issue was written and illustrated by someone else. 

Cover photo was provided by either CBS Studios or Desilu Productions.

Completing this review completes Task #21 (Live Action Comic Adaptation from the 1960s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Daniel Boone #7 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

If you're the execs at 20th Century Fox and Walt Disney refuses to sell you the rights to one of their most lucrative properties, the legendary Davy Crockett, what do you do? You've already got Fess Parker, who played Davy in a series of TV movies that spawned a craze in the mid-1950s. You even have Parker wearing a coon skin cap, like he did back then, along with a slew of frontier set scripts, some historical sets and several actors who could pass for native American Indians. You even have a corporate sponsor in the Feldspar Corp., ready to cover some of your production expenses. Yet, you just cannot come to terms on the licensing rights for your main character. 

So what do you do? In this case, you pivot and focus instead on another similar figure of early American folklore. Enter: Daniel Boone!

Daniel Boone was born in 1734 in what was Colonial Pennsylvania. He was a noted frontiersmen and behind the settlement of Kentucky. Settling the town of Boonesborough, Boone participated in a border war with American Indians, where his exploits became legend. He later represented Kentucky territory in the Virginia state assembly before encountering financial hardships and moving stakes from Kentucky to what would now be Missouri. Boone died in 1820, preceded by his wife Rebecca 7 years earlier.

The television show based on Daniel Boone debuted in 1964 on NBC. It takes place during Boone's having just settled Boonesborough and featured stories that involved skirmishes with the neighboring Miami tribe, the occasional visiting stranger with a mysterious past and legal disputes with the US government. There was very little historical accuracy however. Boone's wife, Rebecca was a character on the show, as are children Israel and Jemima. However, Boone in real life had a total of 10 children. 

Daughter Jemima was famously abducted by Indians and rescued by a posse led by her father. The incident later became inspiration for James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans. In real life, Jemima Boone was a hostage for 3 days. By the end of season 2 of the TV series, the character played by Angela Cartwright, soon of Lost in Space fame, Jemima was quietly removed from the show and never mentioned again.  

Jemima was no longer even a character on the show when this first hit shelves in 1966. The girl and her brother are the heroes of the backup feature titled 'Land of Giants'. When during an hunting expedition Boone and his compatriots are captured by hostile natives, the children use their knowledge of Native American folklore and pretend to be the giants of legend to scare the captors away. 

The opening story is titled 'The Battle for the Boats.' It involves a trader who foolishly believes that the Miami tribe living north of the Ohio River will embrace trading furs and other goods with him. Boone warns that the man's caravan of barges are going to be attacked and goes out to prevent the Miami from obtaining the guns and ammunition carried aboard before the weapons could be used against the Boonesborough settlement. 

Included along with the pair of Daniel Boone stories was a filler starring a character named Zachariah Yankee Peddler. He's a travelling salesman whose adventures have filled the pages of numerous Gold Key/Dell Western adventures such as The Lone Ranger. A pair of non-fiction one-pagers about Native American hunting practices grace the internal back and front covers along with a prose article on Chief Joseph. The exterior back cover features a photographed pin up of Fess as Daniel Boone. 

The 60s saw comic book artists and writers beginning to receive credit for their contributions. However, Gold Key was still rather late to that party. Current research indicates that  Paul S. Newman was the author behind all of the main stories and the interior cover scripts. Only the Chief Joseph biography is unaccounted for. Artwork and inks for this issue were split amongst Joe Certa, Mike Roy and Mike Peppe.

The Daniel Boone TV series ran for 6 seasons; lasting until Spring of 1970. Gold Key's adaptation ran for 15 issues. Published sporadically, it's last issue was dated April, 1969.

Completing this review completes Task #29 (A Fictional Comic About a Real Person) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Teen Titans Go! #10 (family Comic Friday)

Readers of all ages got an early Christmas present this year from DC Comics with a holiday issue of Teen Titans Go!

It's Christmas Eve and the Titans are on their way to Doom Patrol headquarters to spend the holidays with Beast Boy and his former teammates/family. While there, the Titans learn of a very strange Christmas Eve tradition that the Doom Patrol partakes in: the annual holiday attack of the shape shifting villain, Madame Rouge.

I apparently have a serious case of the Mandela Effect here because I was sure that Negative Man was a member of the TTG! version of the Doom Patrol. Yet upon checking things out, Negative GIRL is who's always been a member of this team. 

This was a fun holiday issue, written by J. Torres and illustrated by Dario Brizuela. It had a classic DC whodunnit where you, the reader, were to figure out who or what Madame Rouge was hiding in another form as. (I'm proud to say that I solved it before the Teen Titans did!) Everything felt so festive and fun. Plus with how the Chief's mustache and beard makes him look like Santa Claus, I'm wondering if there might be a sequel holiday story that floats around the possibility that the 2 are related. I'd totally be fine with that!

The only thing that I was unhappy with is something that you can't fault the artistic creative team for. It was the cover. Something is wrong with DC's printing process. The area where my thumb rested as I was reading the book bleached out all the colors. Now that one section of the cover looks like a faded postcard of some Christmastime of long, long ago. Too bad that the rest of the cover lacks this appeal. It kinda makes my brain itch, and sadly this has happened with other current DC book covers as well.

The cover says this read is for ages 8+. That's probably because of the fight scenes and a few gross humor one liners. But if you let a child younger than 8 was the long-running Cartoon Network series, then you will have no problem letting them read this hysterical Christmas read.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Vol. 2: The Sinister Sisters and Other Terrifying Tales (Family Comic Friday)

Growing up, we had a number of horror anthology TV series to scare the pants off of us. Tales From the Darkside. Monsters. The Twilight Zone- both the black and white original in syndication and the full color reboot. But the show that creeped my generation out the most, was a series that on paper, should have been a much more tamer of a fright. That's because it was geared at teens and aired on Nickelodeon! I'm talking about Are You Afraid of the Dark?

This anthology series originally aired from 1992-96. It was the chilling capstone to a 2-hour Saturday evening program block that saw innocuous family friendly fare such as Rugrats, All That and more. Are You Afraid of the Dark? was good to spoil my good feeling mood and as I was a latch key kid on the weekends in the 90s, the show would put me on edge to where I was creeping out at every little late night noise.

The premise in involved a group of teens that made up a club called the Midnight Society. Each week, a different member would submit a new ghost story or other tale of terror for the approval of the club. Sometimes, it would be a potential new member having to craft a haunt in hopes of becoming a member. If I remember correctly, there was a couple of episodes (probably a two-parter of a season ending cliffhanger) where a member of the Midnight Society had violated the rules of the charter and had to tell the ultimate horror story in order to save their membership status.

In this volume, a set of twin sisters are challenged by the Midnight Society to tell the scariest story. The results of the competition could keep the secret club's existence from being made public or it could mean that one of the members is kicked out of the group. With use of Ghanaian folklore from the girls' ancestry, frightening tales of monsters that eat naughty students and angry gods will be told. However, the voting ends in a tie. Now the girls must team up to craft a story so terrifying that it threatens the siblings already fragile relationship!

Written by Roseanne A. Brown, who is from Ghana, I like the use of native folklore. I took an elective on myths and legends in elementary school and it was so fun, I continue to devour such new oral histories with aplomb! It's got me wondering if the previous volume is told in the same manner as there is a different creative team associated with it. 

The artwork of the first story had some creepy elements. I was entertained by the middle story but not scared. Yet, that last one. Oh boy. It was edging on demon possession, which is one of the few types of horror stuff I shy away from. 

Since the 90s, there have been 2 revivals of the series. Both occurred in this decade. Age and probably being exclusive to a streaming platform resulted in them not making a blip on my radar. Heck, if it wasn't for my local library having this book on a Halloween display, I wouldn't have even known that Are You Afraid of the Dark? was having a prose revival with today's youth. I scour Previews and other sites for comic new releases and I do not remember seeing this one even listed!

In reality, this early 2025 release is a tie-in from the most recent series reboot. While there hasn't been a new episode drop since 2022, Harry N. Abrams has published a couple of chapter books and one previous graphic novel as a tie-in, as the show had continued to be featured on Paramount+ . However, in the spring of this year, Paramount removed the show in order to focus on other projects. So this book might be the very last in the series, which is a shame, because it captured the spirit of the original series very well and creeped me out.

If your looking for scary reads this Halloween season for third graders and up, why not make a nostalgic connection with Are You Afraid of the Dark? If it resonates, there's at least one other graphic novel and a slew of chapter books, both in and out of print, to stoke the fire of literacy with the young readers in your life. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Simpsons Comics Get Some Fancy Book Learnin'

I was a little skeptical about whether I would like this collection of Simpsons comics or not. I'm not really a fan of the episodes that take place during a different era. But I want to own all the Simpsons Comics there are, regardless of the book being a floppie or a trade. So I gave it a shot. Thankfully, these issues were more like a Treehouse of Horror, spoofing individual works of literature than that god awful episode from 2017 that took place entirely during medieval times. 

There's 5 issues that comprise this volume. Each focuses on a single subject. Hence why I was a little hesitant that I was going to like this one. Greek Myth, Fairy Tales and stories from The Bible are among the classics spoofed. Ian Boothby wrote every issue with artwork and colors being provided by a number of talents. Boothby did a fine job making cramming in numerous references and quick jokes like a standard episode of The Simpsons. And he managed to do it without getting too irritatingly repetitive. Every once in a while a joke from earlier in the issue would reappear. But Boothby used considerable restraint not going overboard with those gags. Too bad current Simpsons writers can't learn from this!

Surprisingly, the issue that I thought was the best was the one which dives into God's holy word. I was a bit on edge thinking it would be blasphemous. But Boothby did something brilliant that lessened some of the irreverence. He had Bart tell the stories! With the Sunday School teacher out sick, Bart retells the story of Noah's ark, Abraham and Isaac and The Prodigal Son to Rod and Todd with hilarious results. Bart getting details wrong isn't so much a criticism of the Bible; it's what kids actually do! It's why I love Little Lulu and Foxtrot so much. It reminds me of the mixed-up adolescents I teach on a daily basis. 

I really was pleasantly surprised by this one. There were several laughs to be had. Some great gags and a few biting commentaries. In a word, it was CLASSIC Simpsons humor and it was very much appreciated in a day where there's getting to be less and less to laugh about.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century #15 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

In this Gold Key/Whitman Variant issue based on the NBC series starring Gil Gerard and Erin Grey, it's a double feature. 

In the cover story, Buck Rogers' arch enemy Killer Kane has escaped from his prison cell thanks to a new mutation. Able to suddenly change shape and form, Kane plans on killing Buck while crippling the fleet of the Earth Defense Directorate leaving the planet vulnerable for attack by the Draconian Empire. As skilled, decorated pilots die in very unusual ways during routine patrols, Buck and Dr. Huer uncover evidence of a traitor in their midst. But is it jealousy instead of credible evidence when the finger points at an old flame of Wilma's?

The second adventure sees the Earth imperiled once again. Only it's not by any of the multitude of current adversaries doing the threatening. Instead, it's a threat from the very Earth itself and almost 500 years in the past. 

While Buck Rogers was in his cryogenic slumber, the Earth had a nuclear war that almost made the human race extinct. Most of the warheads were launched from Earth's orbit. Now one of those bombs has returned after floating off course for centuries. With time running out, it's up to Buck and his robot sidekick Twiki to navigate the gigantic bomb's booby traps and deactivate it; least the rest of humanity be wiped out!

Both 'That Which Seems to be...' and '10 Levels of Death' were written by B.S. Watson and illustrated by Mike Roy. 

The penultimate issue of the series, Whitman's legacy numbering puts the total series run from 1964 through to 1982. That means issue #1 debuted 15 years before Buck Rogers appeared on TV. Though a single season series had aired on ABC in 1951, the lone issue from the 1960s was based on the newspaper comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan. The first issue to be based on the NBC series was published in 1979. Issues 2-4 are an adaptation of the 2-hour pilot which debuted in theaters before NBC green-lit a full series. The live action series aired for 2 seasons for a total of 37 episodes, with the last episode airing in April 1981. The comic book continued on until May of the following year.

Completing this review completes Task #24 (Starring Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Emergency! #2

The classic TV series Emergency! is my wife's favorite show all-time. Though I really think it's Little House on the Prairie as I'll notice her watching that all the time. True, the Michael Landon production is on TV literally 12 hours a day on Hallmark and other related networks while Emergency! is in rerun maybe 1 or 2 hours daily. 

Emergency! was first a TV movie then a fill-in mid-season replacement that ran on NBC until 1977. It then ran as a series of TV movies of the week before officially being cancelled by 1979. So having Charlton Comics produce a comic book right as the show had peaked in 1976, might not have been the smartest of franchise opportunities. But then again, Charlton wasn't really known for it's brilliant business decisions, struggling to survive behind DC, Marvel and Dell/Gold Key who dominated the market at this time.

This issue sees Fireman-paramedics Roy DeSoto and Johnny Gage being sued by a neighbor of Roy's. During an off-shift cookout, the man choked on a mouthful of steak from admittedly eating too fast. Only he's filed a lawsuit claiming disability paralysis in one of his legs thanks to Johnny's lifesaving technology using the Heimlich Maneuver! 

This plot might seem a little implausible. Mind you that the Good Samaritan laws which protect citizens from being sued for well-intentioned acts during an emergency, weren't even a thing until the late 1990s. Plus the whole idea behind a paramedic rescue squad was still in its infancy in 1976. Though California led the way with the program, people were still finding ways to manipulate the system and any lawyer who chased ambulances was eager to help their clients earn a litigious payday. (Sadly, this doesn't seemed to have really abated in nearly 50 years of progress.)

This issue also has a 2-page prose story. It sees Dr. Early and nurse McCall protecting a shooting victim from the thugs who've arrived at Rampart Hospital looking to finish the job. 

Once again, Dr. Early, portrayed by jazz legend Bobby Troup, is nowhere to be found in the comic story; but he pops up in the prose backup. I suspect that Charlton didn't want to pay another licensing fee to put essentially the 5th lead actor's likeness in the book. Charlton was notoriously cheap and I'm pretty sure someone high up said that they could make an Emergency! comic book without Dr. Early, when anyone who is a fan of the show knows that in reality you can't!

I consider this book to be my wife's. And it really is. Though I have bought now 3 of the 4 comics based on the NBC classic series (there was also a 4 issue magazine that had comics stories inside), my wife has possession of these issues. Where in the heck she puts them (and whether she's actually read them or not) is beyond me. 

It was like finding a missing episode of the show! With a cover by Joe Staton and early art by John Byrne in the backup, it's a classic read that my wife and I cherish. But if I ever get the chance to craft a holiday special based on this groundbreaking series, you can be sure it's going have Bobby Troup/Dr. Early in it!

Worth Consuming!

Rating 9 out of 10 stars.

Simpsons One-Shot Wonders: Bart Simpson's Pal Milhouse #1

The second of 18 total Simpsons One-Shot Wonders. I knew that there was a Milhouse comic book. I just didn't know that it was part of a rudimentary series of specials devoted to some of Springfield's otherwise minor residents. Professor Frink, Police Chief Wiggum and Jimbo are among those who I've learned were given the singular starring role treatment beginning in 2012. I just don't think Lisa nor Bartman, who starred in 3 of these one-shots, deserved the honors as both of them had series runs at one time or another during Bongo Comics' impressive 25 year run. 

I found this book at this year's 301 Endless Yard Sale. One of my former students and her friends were doing a sale and I found a couple of Simpsons comics that I didn't have for only a buck apiece. I chose to read Milhouse first because of the interesting cover. I remember someone from the show being chased by that airplane a la Cary Grant in North by Northwest and I thought the image of Milhouse as Conan the Barbarian was pretty rad. Unfortunately, the concept of the book doesn't quite seem to match the way Milhouse acts on the TV show.

The general idea behind the 2 main stories is that poor, awkward, nerdy Milhouse is so desperate for friendship that his best friend is his over active imagination. I've been watching The Simpsons ever since their days as filler on The Tracey Ullman Show and while Milhouse is definitely a dweeb, I've never noticed that he got lost inside his own head. Daydream retreats by Homer? Absolutely! By Milhouse? Not so much. Okay, never...

The second story at least seemed a bit more plausible. Milhouse gets thrown into his locker by Nelson. Trapped, Milhouse imagines that the locker has a secret entrance to a gigantic secret headquarters where he's international super spy 00! 

The three back up stories were more on par with canon Milhouse. Bart learns it's his best friend's birthday and arranges to bribe everyone at Springfield Elementary into making it Van Houten's best one yet. But soft-hearted Bart doesn't last for long as he then sets up Milhouse to prank Mrs. Krabappel and eventually rats him out without conscience. Lastly, Milhouse teaches you how to make the best prank phone call ever without getting in trouble for it with Bart acting out all the steps by ringing up Moe's tavern. 

Finally, one-shots editor, Louis Lane talks about the Springfield specials he has in store. A book about Homer when he was a kid was on tap next at the time. The first special starred Ralph Wiggum and the letters page saw Milhouse answering in his school mate's stead. It was funny. Though I clearly didn't understand that inside joke about someone's made up name. I googled it and I still don't get it. Also as a bonus, there's a 'hot rod' type sticker of Milhouse that looks like it was made by Ed ' Big Daddy' Ross, that after 13 years has lost its adhesive quality and yet remains inside the comic as if by magic.

With the news about our bombing of Iranian nuclear sites last night, I felt like I needed something light to read. I got that last night. A couple of laughs as well as a chance to think about something else other than complete and utter nuclear annihilation. It just seemed more like a Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode instead of a regular season broadcast.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

DuckTales #4 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers. TailSpin. Darkwing Duck. Without the success of their predecessor DuckTales, none of these classic Disney cartoons from the late 80s-early 90s would have existed. In fact, the Disney Channel as it operates today as a leader in children's programming as well as the streaming juggernaut Disney+, if not for the pioneering nature of DuckTales.

Production for DuckTales began in 1986. At the time, it was a big gamble for Disney who was fledgling against a wave of new animation studios that was poaching quality talent away from the House of Mouse. In 1985, Disney saw a moderate success with the weekly TV series Adventures of the Gummi Bears. Debuting on NBC, the show was an all-new property, though loosely based on the popular gummy candies. It's surprise popularity enticed Disney to begin production on a daily syndicated series that would air in the late afternoon when children would be home. It needed to be based on a Disney icon. Instead of focusing on Mickey Mouse producers wanted a lead character with a bit of an attitude. And of you wanted attitude in the Disney universe, you headed over to Duckburg, Calisota!

Based upon the classic Duck universe comic stories of Carl Barks, DuckTales was an adventure heavy animated series that saw Uncle Scrooge and his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie seeking treasures from across the globe; even the Moon! Enemies such as the Beagle Boys, Flintheart Glomgold and Magical De Spell would be the standard flies in Scrooge's ointment as he constantly looked for new ways to fill his already overflowing coffers. 

To the dismay of Duck fans, Donald Duck would be missing. Due to an internal edict by Disney, the main trio of Mickey, Donald and Goofy were forbidden from being used in the newly developed television animation department. Thus, Donald was sent away to join the Navy (He already had the hat and tunic!) and the larger than life Launchpad McQuack was introduced to pilot Scrooge and his nephews around the world. (The policy forbidding the use of Disney's major Golden Age characters would be overturned in 1992 with the release of the syndicated series Goof Troop starring Goofy and his son Max. Again, thanks to the popularity of DuckTales!)

As DuckTales quickly dominated the airwaves, Disney immediately looked for ways to market the series through merchandising. The first thing Disney approved was a comic book series by their American license holder of the Disney comic book rights, Gladstone. The first few issues had Studio Program material featuring Donald in the episode based adventures. Yet on the covers it was  Launchpad on the engaging with Scrooge and family; not Donald! The rest of the book was filled with a classic Barks story, which also featured Donald.

I realize the mastery of those stories in my older age. But for a 12 year old who was a fan of the TV show as well as a subscriber to Gladstone's comic adaptation, the stark contrast of art styles between the TV show and 1950s Disney Ducks was confusing. Having Donald acting out stories that he wasn't even involved in on the TV didn't help matters much either. Once Disney 's Studio Program realized that Donald was absent from the series, the remainder of the first volume of DuckTales' 13 issues featured Launchpad instead. Those first tales featuring Donald are now considered non-canon by fans.

In 1990, Disney revoked the licensing rights form Gladstone. The studio decided to publish their own comics. Len Wein was hired as the Editor-in-chief. With a full length feature film hitting theaters later in the year, Disney Comics published the second volume of DuckTales. The 18-issue series was nothing like Gladstone's book. An all-new multi part story saw Uncle Scrooge, the nephews and Webby, the granddaughter of McDuck's housekeeper, Mrs. Beakley attempting to recover Scrooge's lucky dime from the clutches of Magica De Spell. 

In this issue, the Duckburg estate is celebrating the safe return of Webby from being held captive by Magica. As a present, Scrooge takes his nephews and Webby on a cruise where bad weather causes McDuck to be swept overboard. He awakens, marooned on the tropical island of his dreams because the native monkeys pay him in trade for coconuts and other fruits in rubies, diamonds and emeralds. However, everything becomes less than ideal when a giant ape arrives on the scene literally throwing his weight around!

While the story ends with a 'To Be Continued' blurb, thankfully things on Ape Island satisfyingly end to prevent readers from having to wait for Scrooge's rescue in issue #5. 

Volume 2 ran for 18 issues right up until the publisher imploded in 1991, cancelling all but a trio of series. DuckTales #4 was written by season one screenwriter Frank Ridgeway. Covers and art by Cosme Quartieri and Robert Bat.

Completing this review completes Task #4 (A Comic Book Based on an Animated TV Show) the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Steed and Mrs. Peel #1 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

The quirky spy series The Avengers originally ran from 1961-1969. Contrary to popular beliefs, The Avengers didn't air on the BBC. Instead it was part of the programming for ITV. Also known as Channel 3, the independent free-to-air public broadcasting network had a budget way smaller than the state-run British Broadcasting Channel. So in 1965, American broadcaster ABC bought the series, making the names John Steed and Mrs. Emma Peel household names. The series made actress Diana Rigg a cultural icon. 

After The Avengers ended in 1969, it seemed that the show was doomed to languish in reruns. Surprisingly, the episodes that started Mrs. Peel's replacement Tara King, were lasting hits in France. As a result, champagne manufacturer Laurent-Perrier created an advertising campaign starring Patrick Macnee as John Steed and Linda Thorson as King. 

The success of the campaign brought about interest in a reboot. Macnee returned as Steed in the retooled New Avengers. As Patrick Macnee was pushing 50, The New Avengers featured younger actor Gareth Hunt taking on the more strenuous stunts as trained martial artist Mike Gambit. Playing the role of the beautiful but deadly Purdy was the blonde actress Joanna Lumley, about 2 decades shy of her role as the boozy Patsy Stone on the sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.

This 1990 3-issue miniseries takes place in between the events of the original series and the 1976-1978 reboot. Written by Grant Morrison with art by Ian Gibson, the Acme Press/Eclipse Comics published series sees Steed reuniting with Mrs. Peel after it has been revealed that a mole has infiltrated the never named branch of British Intelligence that Steed works for. After a military strategist is murdered and Tara King is incapacitated, Steed turns to the only person he can trust: Emma Peel. 

Mrs. Peel has been spending her time away from the intelligence community with her husband in the South American jungle. An anthropologist, Mr. Steed was presumed dead, which led to Emma becoming an unofficial agent for the British crown. When Mr. Peel was found safe and sound, Mrs. Peel left to reunite with her spouse. In this miniseries, Mr. Peel is alive and well, observing native ritual sacrifices. It's a subject that clearly doesn't hold Emma's interest and she's more than willing to help out her old partner for old times sake.

This series, like other subsequent titles based on the British TV series, are titled Steed and Mrs. Peel. Not The Avengers. That's because in the United States, Marvel Comics owns the naming rights to The Avengers as well as The New Avengers. It's made for a little bit of confusion amongst comic collectors looking for the adventures of John Steed and Mrs Peel in print. Muddling things is the fact that because John Steed and his revolving door of partners debuted on the boob tube and later the silver screen in a 1998 American made film starring Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman, the British franchise has naming rights over Marvel when it comes to live action works. Thus, the cinematic adventures of Earth's Mightiest Heroes must be officially titled as Marvel's Avengers. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the first Avengers film goes by the name Marvel Avengers Assemble.

In 2012, Acme/Eclipse's 3 issue miniseries was reprinted as a 6-issue limited series by Boom! Studios before releasing a regular series penned by Mark Waid. Both publications by Boom! were released as Steed and Mrs. Peel.

Completing this review completes Task #21 (Written by an Author From the UK) the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Hot Wheels #5 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

In 1969, Barbie co-creator Elliott Handler introduced the world, especially young boys, to the scale model toy car line known as Hot Wheels. Unlike their established competitor, Matchbox, which focused on the actual vehicle models on modern roadways, the cars from Hot Wheels were souped up, customized versions designed by manufacturers worldwide. The paint schemes were vivid and wild like hot rodders were decorating their cars. The wheels were bigger and sometimes of varying sizes in the front and back. Some Hot Wheels were designed to fit a certain theme such as the bubble top 'Beatnik Bandit' originally designed by Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth.

As Hot Wheels quickly dominated Matchbox and other toy producers of similar scale model vehicles, Mattel decided to ride the wave of popularity with an animated TV series. Mattel teamed with Ken Synder Properties and Pantomime Productions to create a 30 minute animated series based on the Hot Wheels property. Airing on ABC for 17 episodes over 2 seasons from 1969-71, the Hot Wheels cartoon featured the voice talents of Casey Kasem, Albert Brooks and Michael Rye.

The series revolved around the members of the youth series Hot Wheels Racing Team. High School student Jack Wheeler would compete in races around the world that were filled with cheating and sabotage. The members of the Hot Wheels team would preach fairness and the importance of vehicle safety while facing off against competitors who would pretty much break the law to win their respective automobile races.

As the animated series debuted, DC Comics simultaneously released a monthly series based on the TV series and toy line. Jack, along with his racing teammates Tank and Mickey would have adventures in a variety of vehicles while under the supervision of Jack's father, a former professional racer who's career ended after a crash left him partially crippled. This issue had 3 stories. In 'The Case of the Curious Classic', Mr. Wheeler purchases a run down vehicle he hopes to restore that is desired for some unknown reason by several criminals. 'The Dangerous Days of Mickey Barnes' reveals how Jack and his best friend Mickey first met as bitter rivals. Lastly is a 2-page prose story that describes a practice session match between the 3 members of Team Hot Wheels. 

The first story along with the cover was penciled and scripted by Alex Toth. Len Wein wrote the second feature. Art was by Ric Estrada and Dick Giordano. Credit for the prose story seems to be a mystery in both the book itself and research through other online resources.

DC's Hot Wheels series only ran for 6 issues. Automobile racing seemed to be a hard seller in an industry that ran on superheroes, the supernatural and stories of war. A complaint waged with the FCC might also have something to do with the quick demise of the book. In 1970, Johnny Lightning manufacturer Topper Toys, among others complained that the Hot Wheels animated series was nothing more than a 30 minute commercial for Mattel's toy line. ABC denied the allegations stating that no toys were ever advertised during the show. The FCC rules that a portion of the cartoon's air time was to be registered as advertising. This ruling would be the first step towards the FCC banning animated TV shows for children being based on toy lines for almost a decade until the decision was reversed by the Reagan administration. 

Other notable figures from comic history to work on the short-lived comic line included Joe Gill, Nick Cardy and Vince Colleta. Neal Adams penciled the cover to the final issue; a holiday themed issue covered by collectors of Christmas comic books such as myself.

Completing this review completes Task #27 (Based on a Toy Line or Video Game) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Superman Adventures #1(2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Superman: The Animated Adventures ran on the WB from 1996-2000. It was a spin-off of the now classic Batman: The Animated Adventures. 

Featuring the voice talents of Tim Daly as Superman/Clark Kent, Dana Delaney as Lois Lane and Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor, the series was lauded for it's sleek futuristic design and cerebral script writing. Utilizing a majority of the production staff from Batman: TAS, names such as Paul Dini, Bruce Timm and Jean MacCurdy appeared regularly in the closing credits.

This cartoon version of the Man of Steel wasn't a god among men as he was originally designed by creators Siegel and Shuster. Instead, Superman: TAS structured their Last Son of Krypton with the same limitations as developed by John Byrne in the 1987 post-Crisis reboot of Superman. Though severely hampered with the restrictions put on the character, making for more dramatic storylines, Superman rose to every challenge he faced because there was one superpower to which the hero had no weakness against: Superman's unwavering moral code!

Unlike the pre-Crisis Superman, this version of the Man of Tomorrow still had access to his adopted parents, Ma and Pa Kent. Whenever faces with a crisis of conscience, Superman could always make a quick trip to Kansas and work out his problems as Clark Kent with words of wisdom and encouragement from the Kents. Unaware that Superman has a secret identity, Clark's morality was the one thing Lex Luthor's advanced technological schemes against Superman that he could never defeat!

Just as the animated series was debuting on television, DC Comics released a monthly all ages comic book. The first issue was written by Paul Dini with art by Rick Burchett and inks by Terry Austin. The opening story titled 'Men of Steel', sees Superman on scene in Metropolis for just a few weeks. Clark Kent is also still pretty wet behind the ears in his reporter job as the Daily Planet. Luthor sees Superman as a threat to his stranglehold as the de facto ruler of Metropolis as well as a potential alien invader, operating under the guide as a heroic savior. 

The corrupt business leader has been testing out Superman's powers and weaknesses through a series of tests designed as super villains randomly attacking Metropolis. After Superman's latest encounter with terrorist John Corben, inside a suit of 'stolen' LexCorp armor, Luthor has enough data to fully active a life-sized robotic replica of the Man of Steel!

The plot of this issue's story is a partial retelling of part three of the debut episode 'The Last Son of Krypton.' Corben's theft of the LexCorp rebo-suit and Luthor's determination to make a fool of Superman are almost verbatim scenes taken from show. Only Kent's attempts at love and the revelation that Brainiac survived the destruction of Krypton are not included in this premiere issue.

DC's Superman Adventures ran for 66 issues, outpacing the TV show by a dozen stories. A year after the cancellation of the series, Superman, Batman and others would return, this time as a team. Justice League and it's spin-off series Justice League Unlimited would run for 5 seasons; ultimately pitting the Superman led Justice League against the Injustice League, headed by Lex Luthor.

The wrap-around cover is by Bruce Timm.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #16 (Book from the Year You Graduated High School) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.