Welcome Back, Kotter #2

Epstein's practical jokes are getting out of hand. We're not talking about his famous excuse notes signed by his 'mother'. This time, the Sweathog managed to move Mr. Woodman's car from the staff parking lot into his office. And if Buchanan High's vice principal can prove he did it, Epstein will find himself expelled.

Mr. Kotter and the rest of the Sweathogs decide enough is enough. But their timing couldn't be worse as a family emergency has Juan Epstein in a panic unlike ever before. With his kid brother in the hospital, can Mr. Kotter and his students be there when Epstein needs them most?

This issue from January, 1977 felt like I was reading a lost episode from the iconic 1970s sitcom. From the lyrics of John Sebastian's catchy theme to one of Mr. Kotter's stories about his assortment of odd relatives to some pretty impressive artwork of the cast by Jack Sparling (Strange Adventures), I was in heaven. ( If you count how many times I inhaled that fabled aroma of 43-year old comic, I really was in nirvana!)

The neat thing about this issue was despite feeling like an episode, it didn't feel stale. That's saying something for a show that relied on the same old catch phrases and jokes every 30 minutes. All of the characters seemed unrestricted by the bounds of their regular series writers. So did the plot.

I think that with the story not being bound by the show's limited amount of set pieces helped keep this story fresh. Epstein never would have been able to fit Woodman's car into his office on broadcast television. The flashback scene and the hospital scene probably would have been scraped for budget reasons. But thanks to the affordability of ink and paper, the Sweathogs had free reign over the entire borough of Brooklyn! I wish I could say that this classic issue was perfect. There were a few flaws. Mainly with Kotter and his wife. Julie Kotter looked nothing like actress Marsha Straussman. And the banter between the husband and wife seemed like it wasn't a reflection of the characters from the TV, but more like the introductory page of a MAD Magazine send up of the show.

Okay, so Welcome Back Kotter wasn't a comic masterpiece on the same level of anything written by Lee and Kirby. But I loved watching the show as a kid and an occasional episode now is a special treat. This series was on my top 10 list of comic book TV adaptations to watch. And I was really blessed to find an issue right before the lock-down hit. Finding this book in a dollar bin recently, was just gravy and a fun diversion during a rough time physically for me.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 of of 10 stars.

Welcome Back, Kotter #1

This was an amazing find! 

I've been wanting this 1976 comic book for so long. I've been wanting any of the 10 issues printed by DC Comics from 1976-1978. The series actually sat at the #1 spot of the top 10 comics based on a TV series that I wanted to add to my collection. No matter how often I tried, I never could find a copy for sale. Well, just this past weekend, I finally marked issue #1 off my wish list!

As a child, I was in love the quirky TV sitcom about a former student who returns to his alma mater to become a high school teacher. Welcome Back, Kotter launched the career of John Travolta. It had an extremely catchy theme song! And the series has been a syndication staple for nearly 40 years because of those connections.

Kotter isn't exactly your most high-brow of comedy shows. If you've seen one episode, you've seen them all as Welcome Back, Kotter was highly formulaic. In every episode, the following is going to happen:

1. Mr. Kotter will start off an episode with a anecdote about a family member that ends in a punchline.
2. Theme song plays and episode starts in Kotter's remedial social studies class.
3. Epstein will be late to class and produce a forged excuse from his mother.
4. Travolta's character of Barbarino is going to play dumb and say 'What?', 'Who?', 'Me?'
5. Boom Boom will try to charm someone by saying 'Hi There...'
6. The principal will enter and insult Kotter and his Sweat Hogs.
7. Horshack will either scream 'Oo-oo-oooh!' when wanting Mr. Kotter's attention or break something and ask 'Did I do that?'
8. Mr. Kotter then ends an episode with a anecdote about a family member that ends in a punchline.
ROLL CREDITS

Based on these 'cliches', I only had one thing on my mind as I read this issue: I truly hope it doesn't suck!

In this opening issue, Kotter is made aware that he's being transferred to another, better, school district. His students become aware of this and do everything they can to keep him at James Buchanan High. 

Superman's Elliot S! Maggin crafted a very good opening issue. Amazingly enough, Maggin didn't fall into those traps that prevented Kotter from being a highly evolving sitcom. In fact, with the exception of a brief chorus from the theme song, this issue didn't follow any of the show's ubiquitous antics. I actually found myself longing for one of Kotter's anecdotes!

The artwork was superior. Jack Sparling, who was known for his life-like recreations of live-action properties such as Mission: Impossible and Friday Foster for Dell Comics, does a fantastic job making all the characters look humorous but like the actors who played them at the same time. Okay- Mrs. Kotter looked nothing like the actress Marcia Straussman who played her on ABC. Still, Sparling does an amazing job on the art. 

This adaptation was worth the long-time search. Sadly, the cover was detached from the spine. I didn't learn of this until after purchase. Otherwise, the book's in really nice shape and I got it for a good price. I'd be open to getting the other 9 issues of the comic. But it's not a necessity. 

Only 8 more titles till my first TV show as a comic wish list is complete!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.