Dick Tracy Book 3: Official Movie Adaptation

Len Wein takes over the scripting role for the third and final issue of Disney Comic's Dick Tracy miniseries. Issue #3 is the official adaptation of the live action film starring Warren Beatty, Al Pacino and Madonna. 

I felt like this was a fairly good adaptation of the movie. It's been decades since I saw it. Maybe the 2 prequel issues helped me to enjoy it more. Though I think to consider the 1990 noir film based on the popular Dick Tracy comic strip a children's movie, was perhaps a bad idea. There's a lot of murders and violence. Mostly from Tommy guns and explosions. But at least one character is killed by being buried in a cement coffin called 'The Bath.' Don't even get me started on the abuse the Kid suffers at the hands of Steve the Tramp!

One thing that I didn't realize was how much sex was in this movie. There isn't anything blatant. But the costumes worn by Madonna's character Breathless Mahoney are pretty risque. And the innuendo she pours over Dick Tracy, trying to lure him away from his sweetheart Tess Trueheart was quite silacious. At the time, I was only 12. What did I know???

Kyle Baker was the artist for the entire series. It's interesting work to say the least. The background sets and the NPCs of the story have that traditional early Kyle Baker style that's raw, fierce and sometimes uninhibited. But when it comes to the characters created by Chester Gould, they look like they were penciled and inked by the Dick Tracy creator himself. With one exception: the title character! I'm wondering if there was a clause in Warren Beatty's contract that all promotional imagery, including comic adaptations, had to have his likeness. 

Al 'Big Boy' Caprice, who was played by Al Pacino, had the legendary actor's eyes. But Big Boy is drawn more like Pacino appeared under a good 10 pounds of foam rubber makeup. Madonna's character looks more like a sultry blonde illustrated by Patrick Nagel. It could be anybody in a blonde wig in a slinky dress that hangs onto the body in the right places. 

As for Tracy's squad of do-gooders, Dick Tracy Jr, Sam Catchem and such, they vary in style. The Kid has coal black button eyes whereas Sam looks like Flattop in a bowler with a permanent grin on his face. If you're familiar with the comic strip, based on the artwork, you should be able to figure out some surprise reveals ahead of time. Just keep a detecting eye out.

Lot of fun. I think being in my late 40s, I was able to enjoy this book more than I would have as a preteen. This trip down memory lane has got me wanting to see the live action picture again. That's really saying something because I remember when I first saw the film, I was really blasé about how it turned out. Dick Tracy 1990 has a reputation of being a terrible movie despite really killing it in theaters those first 2 weeks in theaters. It has become a sort of cult classic. Maybe it warrants another view. I'm definitely in the right frame of mind for it!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 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.

Dell Four Color #631- Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

From December, 1954 to February, 1955, ABC aired 3 one-hour mini movies starring Fess Parker as legendary frontiersman, Davy Crockett. The programming was part of a deal with the television network to produce weekly family entertainment in return for funding for Walt Disney to build his dream theme park: Disneyland. This deal also acted as a weekly advertisement in which Disney would provide updates on the park's construction.

The trio of Davy Crockett episodes were produced to highlight Disneyland's Frontierland, the park's tribute to explorers and cowboys. The three parts were titled 'Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter', 'Davy Crockett Goes to Congress' and 'Davy Crockett at the Alamo'. These films ended up becoming a nationwide success and sparked a fad in children wearing coon skin caps as well as boosting interest in Westerns as a growing genre in post-war television and movies. 

Seeing dollar signs, Disney repackaged the 3 episodes into a feature length movie. In May, 1955 Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier hit theaters and was an immediate hit. Grossing over $2 million dollars, that's about $30 million dollars in 2026 dollars. 

Historians know that Davy Crockett met his demise at the infamous battle of the Alamo. (Whether he died heroically in battle or was taken as a prisoner and executed at a later date is a subject for debate that will not be examined here.) After losing his Tennessee  congressional seat, Crockett sought to make a new start in politics further South. Texas was in the middle of a battle for Independence from Mexico and Crockett saw a chance to reap massive political and personal benefits should Texas win the war. He joined the garrison in San Antonio in the winter of 1836 and died a few months later at the regiment's last stand at the Alamo. 

As Fess Parker's character dies at the conclusion of the 3-episode miniseries, you would think that would be the end of Disney and the exploits of Davy Crockett. Never one to let a money making opportunity slip away, Walt Disney decided to produce another set of films based on the historical figure. Only they would be more fiction than fact and they would be set in between Crockett's time as a scout for the United States Army during the Creek Indian Wars and his brief stint in Washington DC. 'Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race' and 'Davy Crockett and the River Pirates' were brilliantly released in the fall of 1955, just in time to make Davy Crockett hats, bubble gum cards and pop-style muskets the most requested toys from American boys AND girls! An estimated $300 million in Christmas sales revolved around Davy Crockett themed merchandise.

The prequel episodes were edited and repackaged as another feature in the summer of 1956. Walt Disney's Davy Crockett and the River Pirates was released in July. It took earned over $2 million in ticket sales. However, by the time the film exited theaters, the fervor over Davy Crockett had become passé and American children moved on to the next fad.

This edition of Dell Four Color was published during the height of Crockett Mania. It adapts the first chapter of the Davy Crockett miniseries seeing Davy and his singing pal George Russel volunteering to join the U.S. Army under the command of General Andrew Jackson. They act as scouts and use their knowledge of animal tracking to procure food for the troops before returning home for the winter to hunt for their families.

Upon their return to the Army, Davy and George learn that Jackson has been transferred to New Orleans to help fortify the important port city against the British. The incompetent Major Norton is now in charge of the Army. His mission is to hunt down the remaining Creek warrior Chief Red Stick in hopes of ending the war. George is taken captive by Red Stick's men prompting Crockett to a tomahawk duel to the death! 

With the exception of 'Davy Crockett Goes to Congress', the other 3 segments of Disney's miniseries were given solo treatment in the Four Color series. Crockett's time in DC was included in the reprint heavy Dell Giant Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier. Dell also produced a holiday special to cash in on the hoopla with Sears promo comic, the Davy Crockett Christmas Book that along with a dozen pages of comics including puzzles and games. 

The comic adventures of Davy Crockett would live on in reprint form through the 1980s in issues of Gold Key's Walt Disney Showcase and Walt Disney Comics Digest.

According to leagueofcomicgeeks.com Chase Craig scripted this issue. John Ushler is attributed by several sources for providing the pencils and inks. The front cover is a photograph image of Fess Parker as Crockett. Additional artwork for the background and the map of the Creek Indian Wars were provided by the staff of the Western Publishing Production Shop.

Completing this review completes Task #1 (Comic from the Golden Age (1938-1955)) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Swamp Thing Annual #1 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

 In 1982, Bernie Wrightson and Len Wein's creepy creation, the Swamp Thing, made its motion picture debut. Written and directed by Wes Craven, the film tells a mostly faithful origin story of Dr. Alec Holland and how he is transformed into a being of sentient plant matter.

While working in a secret government lab deep in the swamps of Florida, Dr. Holland has created a formula that can transform barren deserts into futile farmland. His sister Linda, has also discovered that a single drop of the formula can also double as a powerful explosive. Anton Arcane, a despotic paramilitary leader, has caught wind of the chemical and attacks the lab in hopes of making the formula a part of his ever growing arsenal. During the assault, the chemical is spilt on Holland and he immediately catches fire thanks to its volatile properties. To extinguish himself, Holland jumps into the murky swamp and seemingly perishes.

Meanwhile, Alice Cable, a new government attaché to the project, flees with one of Holland's notebooks. With Arcane's operatives trailing her, Cable must find a way to alert Washington to the attack. However, the commandos get the better of Cable. With the notebook in their possession, there's no longer a need to keep Cable alive. But right before they silence the government agent, a mysterious creature emerges from the muck. It's the Swamp Thing and boy, is he mad!

The live action film was produced by Swampfilms and distributed jointly by Embassy Pictures and United Artists. It started Ray Wise as Dr. Alec Holland.  Adrienne Barbeau played Alice Cable. Renown French actor Louis Jourdan was the evil Arcane. Dick Durock would don pounds of rubber and fake moss as the title character. Over the next decade, it would only be Durock's body in the Swamp Thing suit. The imposing 6'6" actor would star opposite Heather Locklear in 1989's campy Return of the Swamp Thing. A year later, Durock would return for an hour long TV series on cable's USA Network. The series would run 72 episodes over 3 seasons. 

None of the subsequent Swamp Thing adaptations to star Dick Durock would receive the comic book treatment. This oversized special was written by Bruce Jones. Mark Texeira penciled; Tony DeZuniga inked. The cover image is of the original theatrical poster. It was painted and airbrushed by celebrated fantasy and sci-fi artist Michael Whelan. 

Completing this review completes Task #30 (A Movie Adaptation) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Super Special #39: Santa Claus: The Movie

1985's Santa Claus: The Movie is not only considered the worst Christmas film of all time; it holds a distinction of being placed on the lists of many from film critics worst films ever made. Still, that didn't keep me from having this magazine sized Marvel comic book adaptation on my wish list for many years.

I remember going with my mom to see this in theaters in '85. I had just turned 8 and I either saw it during Thanksgiving break or Christmas break. The sets of the North Pole and the costumes of the elves and Santa were stunningly beautiful. But I recall how weird that the movie looked on the screen. Something was off and finding out years later that this was an American/British production, that explains it.  But as a form of entertainment to a 2nd grader who loved the magic of Christmas, it wasn't a terrible movie.

Along with the use of video tape instead of celluloid, one element that has critics cringing is the blatant product placement. At the time, it didn't seem so weird to me. But having re watched the film years later, the film feels like a 90 minute commercial for a lot of international products. The 5 minute long scene where McDonald's diners are gleefully devouring burgers and fries in front of a starving homeless boy seems cruel. Even if it is just a movie, that scene doesn't convey an image of Mickey D's caring about the little guy. 

With McDonald's sponsorship, there was a lot of marketing for the movie. But instead of toys, they gave out book adaptations of segments of the movie. There were also some record read-a-longs, coloring books and I want to say a sweatshirt or t-shirt tie-in. But no toys or candy. Though considering how dangerous the candy is in this story, maybe that was a good thing.

I think Marvel either missed a great opportunity to not release this as a giant sized movie special. Or they dodged a gigantic bullet. With the film bombing domestically (it was a big hit in the UK) and only a magazine edition of the comic book adaptation, not a lot of Marvel Super Special #39 were produced. Marvel didn't lose too much on this book and today, this issue is a highly sought after addition to Christmas comic book collectors collections because of how rare it is. Not to mention, the heftier price tag. 

I've seen people asking anywhere from $60-100 for this book. Too rich for me. I consider myself very lucky (or on Santa's nice list), finding it in near mint condition for less than $20! This was a fine adaptation. I think it benefited well from not being tied up with so much licensing and that allowed writer Sid Jackson to really capture the intended magical feel of the story. The artwork by Frank Springer was very good with some great likenesses of most of the cast. Petra Scotese's color palette fully captured the bright and lively hues I remember so vividly being a part of the film.

A true diamond in the rough. Normally, adaptations don't do justice to a movie. But this one actually surpasses the original product!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Disney Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Full-Color Manga Edition (Family Comic Friday)

Let's finish out my Halloween readings for 2025 with a Manga adaptation of a film that has become a classic of not just Halloween, but Christmas as well! 

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas has become a holiday classic that people enjoy from October all the way through to the New Year! I didn't see the movie when it first appeared in theaters in 1993. Probably because I went to a Christian school and was too afraid of expressing any interest in a film that was clearly 'pagan'. It wasn't until I was in college working at a shopping mall video store that I became introduced to the film. But even through our showing the film on the myriad of television screens, I didn't really appreciate it until years later. Now I absolutely adore it.

My local library had this book in their new release section and I thought it would be the perfect transition between Halloween and Christmas comic book reading; though I won't be diving into holiday time comics until Thanksgiving week. This is a 2025 release from TokyoPop. Now you might be thinking 'Didn't TokyoPop release an adaption of this movie in 2016?' Well, you would be right. But that was a black and white edition and the artwork was not very faithful to the vision of Tim Burton. It was more sketchy in look and for those not familiar with the Manga style, it was very much maligned.

With this deluxe color hardcover edition, the artwork looks more polished. The format is still traditionally Manga, meaning you read from the right going leftward. Same with interpreting the panels. The sound effects are in Japanese with English subtitles. But compared to that black and white edition, this volume is 10 times better. 

The classic story is still the same. The King of Halloween Town, Jack Skellington, has become bored with the same old Halloween traditions year after year. A chance encounter into the realm of Christmas Town inspires Jack to celebrate the season of giving. But it's done with Halloween flare. So when Jack has Santa kidnapped in order to take his place as 'Sandy Claws', things go horribly wrong. 

My favorite scene from the movie is when Jack as Sandy gives a human boy a wrapped present. The parents ask the lad about what Santa gave him for Christmas. The boy pulls out a shrunken head and his parents faint. Classic scene. Unfortunately, TokyoPop changed it. Instead of a shrunken head, the kid pulls out a bat. It's not even a scary looking bat. The parents still freak out. But the magic of that scene is no more. 

As with any adaptation, scenes get cut or edited. (But why did they have to change my favorite one?) Another thing  that underwent what I thought was an unnecessary alteration was the antagonist, Oogie Boogie. He just kinda shows up out of nowhere, putting Santa Claus and the rag-doll character Sally in mortal peril for no seeming reason. He's much more developed in the film and there was no prior eference to his one-armed bandits that plays a critical role in the climax of the story. (Russian playwright Chekov would be mortified at this!)

TokyoPop has an origin story about how Jack and Oogie Boogie started out as friends and then had a falling out. Perhaps, they are heavily editing the villain's impact in this volume in hopes of enticing readers to go out and buy it. Thanks to the ad for that volume at the end of this book, I want to read it. But I also feel like cutting out a lot of Oogie Boogie's backstory, of for the sake of additional sales is a little underhanded, if that's what TokyoPop did in fact do.

If you love Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas and you can get past the alternate direction of reading that comes with Manga, you'll love this book. In fact, if you are a collector, you might even say that you need this book. The adaptation is decent. They do a fairly good job of trying to portray some of the musical numbers from the film. The coloring was beautiful and I was absolutely enamored by the art until the very last page. Why did artists Jun Asuka and Manuel Puppo decide all of a sudden to make Jack's ghost pup Zero look like he was CGI instead of illustrated pencil and inks as he (and the rest of the Manga) appears in the book? It was an error that ruined a perfect holiday feel-good feel!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Stitch Head: The Graphic Novel (Family Comic Friday)

A new animated feature film will be debuting in theaters on October 29th. Stitch Head is a heartwarming tale filled with monsters, a mad scientist and angry townsfolk, much in the vein of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. However, in this story, Stitch Head is Doctor' Eramus' first experiment, created from when the researcher was just a lad. After creating life with a patchwork rag doll, his father sends the aspiring scientist to college in order to achieve his degree in mad science.

Forgotten Stitch Head waits patiently for his master to remember him. But as the doctor creates 300 more creatures, one things becomes clear: the mad scientist isn't all that brilliant! Good thing Stitch Head has all of the knowledge and experience to help his master perfect his experiments.

I know. You're probably thinking 'I thought that this was a book review' and it is. I didn't watch the animated movie. Instead, I found this book on the new release shelf in the young readers graphic novel section at my local library. Stitch Head: The Graphic Novel is based on the 2011 young readers novel by Guy Bass. If you were going for a faithful adaptation, I don't think you get any better than this as it was adapted by Bass and it features art by Pete Williamson, the original illustrator of the Stitch Head series of chapter books.

They say that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. But there's nothing wrong with being enticed by it! When I first saw the book, I got definite vibes of Tim Burton. Add in the character of the traveling circus ringmaster Filbert, who captivates Stitch Head with promises of a glamorous life, defiant young Arabella who's not afraid of the terrifying legends coming out of Castle Grotteskew, and Creature, the newest creation of Stitch Head's master and the ragamuffin's only, new friend and this could be a newly discovered corner of the Tim Burton-verse!

Though this story takes place in an eerie looking fortress overlooking a spooky little village, there's nothing too frightening. It's got a creepy vibe. Perfect for Halloween. Kids should love it. Parents should approve. 

Why not take the young readers in your life to the movie (or stream it wherever possible), then after they fall in love with it, have copy of this amazing graphic novel on hand for them to read and continue the experience? Maybe pick up some of the chapter books too? Say it's a gift from the Great Pumpkin! It might just make this a Halloween to remember for them and the whole family!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Frankenstein #1

This 1963 comic is a grail that I have been searching for for a very long time. It's something that I've wanted so much that apparently the price I paid surprised the heck out of my wife. I only paid $20 for it. Sure, the cover has been tattooed by some kid named 'Fred'. But it was in decent shape with vibrant colors and beautiful artwork by Tony Tallarico. Inked by Bill Fracchio. Still, being a notorious bargain hunter, giving up a portrait of Andrew Jackson was a surprise to my wife.

This issue is officially licensed by Universal Studios and it offers a quasi-faithful retelling of the 1931 classic starring Colin Clive and Boris Karloff. The first half of the book follows Dr. Frankenstein attempting to recreate life in his castle laboratory. He succeeds but the experiment is flawed because the scientist's assistant accidentally destroyed the normal brain that was to go inside the monster's cranium and instead replaced it with a criminal mind. 

Frankenstein attempts to control the beast. But when townsfolk end up dead, those who survive storm the castle. Armed with pitchforks and torches, the citizenry destroy the castle, seemingly condemning the scientist, his assistant and his creation to their dooms within the fiery confines of Castle Frankenstein. 

It's at this point that the book takes a huge shift away from the movie and goes to a place never explored by Frankenstein and his creation: New York! There had been several sequels made by Universal Studios that continued the story of Frankenstein. The monster would get a bride, fight the Wolfman and even meet comedians Abbott and Costello. But none of those adventures ever occurred in the Big Apple. So why the sudden change to the legend? For that answer, you have to blame the Comics Code.

Even in the early 1960s, horror comics were still a bit of a cultural taboo. Zombies, vampires and werewolves were forbidden by the CCA. Dell Comics had survived being bound by the code, even producing an impressive catalog of works without the Comic Code stamp by following a strict self-imposed code of quality and conduct. However, the Universal monster movies of the 1930s were seeing an impressive comeback on the TV airwaves as certain copyrights had expired, introducing the likes of Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., and Karloff to a new generation of monster fans. 

Wanting to capitalize on the sudden monster mania, Dell licensed several characters from the Universal vault. This would allow for a one-shot comic book adaptation of the original films to be produced without outcry about violating the Code, as the movies were by-and-large based on works of gothic literature and European folk lore. But how could Dell continue to tell the stories of the Universal monsters as the many, many sequels were nearly 100% Hollywood fabrication? 

The answer was to turn the monsters into superheroes. In order to do this, Dell needed to set up each character to be able to start off their crime busting careers. For Frankenstein's monster, that meant having Dr. Frankenstein and his creation surviving the destruction of his lab by escaping through an underground tunnel and fleeing to America. While in the States, Dr. Frankenstein seeks to introduce his experiment to the world at a medical convention. In typical fashion, the monster goes berserk, wreaks havoc and seemingly perishes deep in the middle of Hudson Bay.

Everything seems set up for a successful new Frankenstein series. The first issue was in such high demand, a second print was issued in 1964. Only the second issue didn't see print for 3 years after the premiere! With Dell still owning the Universal license, Frankenstein and his cohorts become superheroes, with much of what happened at the end of the first issue retconned away. Instead of being set in the Big Apple, the Monster lives in the fictional burgh of Metropole City. No longer trapped under water, the monster is instead revived by a convenient thunder bolt proving that lightning does indeed strike the same place twice.

I didn't really mind the changes to the story. Artistic license has been a part of comic book adaptations of TV and movies since it's inception. I just thought it was really odd that we go from 1880s Central Europe to more modern 1930s when Dr. Frankenstein flees to America. I know that parts of Europe are known as the Old Country. But I thought only Dr. Frank N. Furter encountered time warps...

Love this book. So glad to own it. Despite the poor reception, I really want issues #2-4 of the super-powered Frank; as well as his vampire and werewolf compatriots. They're oddities. They're kitschy. And they're still on my wish list! But so are the other more traditional Universal Studios publications, including the Mummy, who for some reason never received the heroic treatment.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Alien³ #1-3 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

1992's third installment in the Alien movie series could have been so much better than what audiences received. Cyberpunk author William Gibson was originally tasked with writing a script that included elements of the Cold War, government corruption and religious fervor. Rushed to complete before a potential Hollywood strike, producers were unimpressed with Gibson's original treatment. They called it 'uninteresting'. So Fox Studios issued a number of rewrites. A film that was supposed to quickly capitalize on the success of James Cameron's 1986 action heavy sequel, Aliens, languished in pre-production for several years, resulting in some of it's stars to become unavailable or in the case of actress Carrie Henn, who played 12 year old survivor Newt; age out of their roles.

Alien³ would eventually see Sigourney Weaver's character Ripley crash landing on a former prison work colony along with a facehugger that survived from the previous film. Ripley believes that Newt's body is being inhabited by a Xenomorph embryo. However, an autopsy proves otherwise. That's because the facehugger choose another host - Ellen Ripley!

This 3-issue adaptation produced by Dark Horse Comics was written by Steven Grant. Except for some awkward translations of curse words into more comics friendly words and phrases, any qualms with the plot or scripting shouldn't be directed at Grant. The writer was tasked with a script that seemed doomed from the start. The same cannot be said about the artwork.

Pencils and inks for this mini were by Christopher Taylor and Rick Magyar. Their adult Xenomorph warrior referred to as a 'Dragon' Alien, because its 4-legged frame with a long tail was the result of bonding with the penal colony's guard dog, is impressive. But one has to wonder if Taylor and Magyar had ever seen either of the previous Alien films because their facehugger looked like a miniature Xenomorph with hair instead of an albino scorpion. 

Ripley looks like, well anyone but actress Sigourney Weaver. But at least the artists seemed not to confuse her with another actor. The oplikeness of Bishop looks more like Paul Reiser's character of Carter Burke, right down to the curly pompadour hairstyle and long trench coat! As for likenesses of the inmates, that's kinda hard to assess. They're pretty much all clones of one another as a lice infestation on the planet results in all of the colonists shaving their heads.

Alien³ would go on to make an estimate of $160-180 million dollars thanks in part to its Memorial Day weekend opening. Only the third installment in the Lethal Weapon series would outpace the space horror. Despite making three times as much as it's budget, the film is considered the worst of the Ripley films and tied with the franchise crossover Alien V. Predator: Requiem as the most underperforming of the franchise.

This would not be Weaver's final appearance in the Alien series. In 1997, she would return, this time as a clone, in Alien: Resurrection. Time would also see William Gibson returning to the franchise as a comic book writer. In 2018, Dark Horse published a 5-issue adaptation of what Alien³ could have been with William Gibson's Alien 3. 

The covers for Alien³ #1-3 were all painted by Arthur Suydam.    

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #7 (A Movie Adaptation) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

RoboCop: The Official Adaptation (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

There's an infamous scene in 1987's RoboCop in which a thug with a gun holds a woman hostage. The cyborg officer orders the man to drop his weapon. But when the criminal refuses, Robocop shoots him in a very delicate area of the male anatomy.

That scene is recreated here in this comic book adaptation of the blockbuster futuristic sci-fi starring Peter Weller as the title character. However, this being a Marvel Comic, the events were changed slightly with the gunman being shot in the shoulder from RoboCop's computer accurate targeting system.

Bob Harras wrote the script based on the screenplay by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. Alan Kupperberg and Javier Saltares penciled. It tells of a dystopian Detroit in which crime is so bad, it's police forcehad to be privatized by the mega-corporation Omni Consumer Products. Recently, a crime wave resulting in the deaths of nearly 30 Detroit cops has lowered morale to the point that the officers are ready to go on strike. That's just what corrupt executive Dick Jones is hoping for. Without humans to police the city, he can patrol Detroit with his robotic drones, the double-barreled ED-209. If the program is a success, Dick will certainly become the new head of OCP, allowing him to put a massive real estate plan into action. However, when the tank like robot malfunctions, killing a junior OCP exec, the project is shelved to make way for the RoboCop project.

After the death of Detroit's newest boy in blue, the idealistic Murphy, OCP rushes to harvest his body in order to create their first prototype. Supposedly wiped of the memory of his previous life, RoboCop becomes a one-man army against crime. While on a patrol, RoboCop comes face-to-face with one of his murderers, bringing back memories of his life as Murphy and setting the robotic law enforcer on a course of revenge against the gang of men who killed him. 

Marvel Comics hadn't been a stranger to issuing adaptations of R-rated films. However, when originally cut by director Paul Verhoven, the 109 minute long feature was rated-X for gory violence. Scenes of one character turning into a mutated blob thanks to a run-in with RoboCop and a tank of toxic ooze were considered off-the-table for censors. But the director stood firm in his original version of the movie, that is until his kids watched it. 

Verhoven had intentionally tried to make the scenes of gore as well as Murphy's torturous murder, a bit on the farcical side in order to undercut the level of violence. But the director might have gone a little too overboard in his level of surrealism, as his children reportedly laughed their heads off watching the heroes tragic death. Another round of edits and the film garnered not only an R-rating, but also elicited a feeling of unease among the audience of the new cut.

In 1990, Marvel would produce a monthly series continuing the adventures of Murphy and Lewis. The ominous OCP would be portrayed as more considerate of the public good while continuing with their gentrification project, Delta City. This series ran for 23 issues. Marvel would also release a 3-issue miniseries adaptation of the inevitable sequel before losing the franchise license to Dark Horse sometime in early 1992. 

After Dark Horse, RoboCop sat dormant as a comic book character until publisher Avatar Press gained the rights in 2006. Frank Miller, who worked the screenplay for RoboCop 2 and 3 wrote the new series which was based on Miller's rejected storyline for the sequel as well as unused concepts developed for the threequel. As of 2018, Boom! Studios was the last comic book publisher of the franchise, releasing the 5 issue miniseries RoboCop: Citizens Arrest. Nothing new starring Future of Law Enforcement has been released in this current decade.

This book is a colorized reprint of the official 1987 adaptation which was presented in magazine form.

Completing this review completes Task #11 (Pick a Long Box and Read the 6th Book in the Box) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Batman Begins: The Movie & Other Tales of the Dark Knight

This DC trade paperback is like a matinee movie in reverse. The comic adaptation of the opening chapter of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy by Scott Beatty and Kilian Plunkett is the main attraction. The accompanying 4 stories are like the animated shorts and adventurous serials you would watch as lead up. Only they come after the movie!

I can't really say a lot about the adaptation of 2005's Batman Begins. Unlike the 2008's follow up, The Dark Knight, I've only seen the origin story once. So I don't have any idea if Beatty and Plunkett's version of the movie has extra stuff that got removed before hitting theaters or not. I will say that reading the comic book version of the film has really pique my interest in seeing the trilogy again. Mostly because there is a lot of material in the comic that I don't remember.

While Batman Begins is what got me to buy this book, it's the 4 shorter Batman stories that really captured my attention.

First by Denny O'Neil and Dick Giordano is another origin story of Batman. Only this is the accepted DC canon version which focuses more on Bruce Wayne studying the science of criminology more than martial arts and the tools of stealth. 

Story #2 is by Greg Rucka and Rick Burchett. It simultaneously tells of Batman taking down a gang while a family of 3 are trapped in their vehicle under the Gotham harbor. With time running out and water rushing in, this story has more of a Batman: The Animated Series vibe to it and was perhaps the best story of the bunch.

Story #3 is by Ed Brubaker. In a teaming with Catwoman, Batman explores what it is that makes him a vigilante. That faithful night in Crime Alley is referenced a lot. Art is pretty good. Yet, despite my feeling that Brubaker is the best crime comic writer of them all, he commits an unpardonable sin amongst fans of the Dark Knight by having the hero proclaim that his true identity is Bruce Wayne! Not the Bat!

The final story is an unusual Batman story by Fables head honcho Bill Willingham. It sees a rooftop Batman losing his footing and crashing to the streets below. Obviously injured from the fall, the Caped Crusader must be helped by an assorted group of Gothamites. I wasn't so much of a fan of Tim Fowler's art. But the story was so different and so very engrossing. 

A great mix of stories celebrating not just the origin of the Batman but also of what makes a Batman. A worthy addition to my Batman collection of comics. Only it's not the feature that makes this book worth owning--- it's the backup material! In fact, I'd rather lose the comic adaptation and just add 3-4 more similar tales to the quartet of additional works!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

V #1

In 1983-84, I was in Kindergarten. One of the cultural events that a lot of classmates were rabid about was the NBC sci-fi miniseries V and V: The Final Battle. I was among them! 

The minis were about a race of aliens called the Visitors, that arrived on earth under the guise of peace. However, under their human-like flesh lives a reptilian race of scavengers that see our planet as a mini-mart. At the end of The Final Battle, the human race released a germ known as 'Red Dust' into the atmosphere to kill off the Visitors. 

Not all the Visitors were evil. Those who supported the human race were known as the Fifth Column. They were vaccinated against the Red Dust. For some reason or another, the germ warfare wasn't as powerful on the temperate areas of the planet. So, those areas remained under Visitor occupation.

Areas such as central Los Angeles, became designated truce zones, much like Rick's American Cafe in Casablanca. This allows for Visitors and members the earth's Resistance forces to interact, scheme and play deadly games of cloak & dagger. Diana, the Visitor leader, operates out of a mothership in orbit above this region, seeking to finally conquer this planet. Aiding her is the billionaire pharmaceutical tycoon Nathan Bates, who uses the power vacuum of the past war to take over California while assimilating Visitor tech.

Thankfully the first issue of this DC Comic adaptation does an amazing job of providing all this information. While I've seen the two miniseries within the past couple of years, I've not seen the TV show since its first days of airing in 1984-85. I love V and I used to have these books, along with a couple of toy guns and the coveted Visitor action figure when I was younger. The comics I was able to find for basically a dollar each or less and the fun I had from the franchise as a kid was just as rabid as it was 40 some years ago. 

Laying the frame work, I am excited to dig through this 18 issue run. Featuring a script by Cary Bates with artwork by the legendary Carmine Infantino, things are poised for full-throttle action and adventure. Oh, and of course fun!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Willow #1-3 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

During the 1982 filming of Return of the Jedi, in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a young child actor is making a giant impression. Warwick Davis, a British actor with dwarfism, is playing a tiny version of a Wookiee called a Ewok. In his first ever role as Wicket, Davis is showing such professionalism and passion for acting that Star Wars creator George Lucas promises the lad to create a movie for the newcomer to star in. 

Jump to 1987 and George Lucas kept his word. Working on an idea he first developed in 1972 originally called Munchkins, Lucas created the story of Willow. Set in an unnamed mystical world, Willow Ufgood is a struggling farmer and amateur magician with aspirations at becoming chief sorcerer of his race of little people called Nelwyns. 

One day, Willow's children find a baby girl floating on a makeshift cradle in the nearby river. The infant is a Daikini, the name of full-size humans who share the land with the Nelwyns. Tasked by his people to deliver the child to the first Daikini he sees, Willow begins an epic quest that promises to restore freedom to all of the people of the land.

The Daikini child is in reality Elora Danan, an infant princess who has been prophesied to one day overthrow the evil ruler of the land of Nockmaar, Queen Bavmorda. In order to stop Bavmorda, who wishes to sacrifice Elora Danan in a demonic ritual, Willow must find the aged sorceress Fin Raziel. Which Willow does. Unfortunately, Fin Raziel has been rendered powerless as Bavmorda changed her into a possum. All seems lost, unless the aspiring Nelwyn sorcerer can restore her back into human form. 

Aiding Willow in his quest is the mercenary Madmartigan; a mercenary of questionable character but unsurpassed swordsmanship. A pair of brownie warriors named Rool and Fanjean, whose diminutive sizes make Willow look like a Colossus in comparison add comic relief and some assistance as tiny combatants. Adding to the adventure is the warrior princess Sorsha, daughter of Queen Bavmorda, whom Madmartigan becomes enamored with and just might have a shot with, if she doesn't kill him and the infant first!

Willow was directed by Ron Howard. A protege of George Lucas, Howard starred in the Lucas' 1973 homage to the early 1960s, American Graffiti. With a script by first time movie screenwriter Bob Dolman, Lucas had hoped that Willow would be on par with E.T. as the new all-time money maker at the box office. While the film was a moderate hit, mostly bolstered by international movie sales, Willow face stiff competition against a 1988 American film slate included colossal blockbusters such as Big and Rambo III.

Willow went on to become a kind of cult classic. In the early 90s, George Lucas tasked X-Men's Chris Claremont to pen the Chronicles of the Shadow War trilogy. Set 15 years after the first film, a teenaged Elora Danan is the central character. Last year, an 8-episode sequel starring Warwick Davis aired on Disney+. Also titled Willow, conflicting reports list the series as cancelled after one season or in indefinite hiatus. 

As part of Lucasfilm and MGM's original marketing campaign, a number of tie-in products were issued. TOR issued a 6-player board game as well as a RPG source book. Tonka's 'action figures' were in reality die-cast figurines much like tin soldiers and lacked vital points of articulation. 

In the realm of comics, Marvel was tasked with a 3-issue adaptation. Star Wars' Jo Duffy penned the script. Artwork was by Bob Hall (Super-Villain Team-Up) with assists and inks by Romeo Tanghal (The New Teen Titans). The miniseries was later collected in 2 formats: as a tabloid sized Marvel Graphic Novel and in as an illustrated edition much like a trade paperback.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #5 (A Movie Adaptation) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

PT 109 #1 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

During the Summer of 1942, in the Pacific Theater, young John Fitzgerald Kennedy is given his first command. The aging patrol torpedo boat PT-109 is in need of massive doses of TLC. The 3 engines are considered really 'tired.' There's rust everywhere. And there might not be enough guns on the deck. 

Lt. (JG) Kennedy has 1 week to get the boat operable or else he'll be assigned somewhere else, probably as a lower ranking crew member. With an eager crew, Kennedy manages to get PT-109 ready for its first mission, assisting in the evacuation of some marines pinned down by Imperial Japanese forces. That first assignment becomes a rescue mission as one of the barges used transport troops capsizes in the choppy tropical waters.

After that first mission, Kennedy's crew are transferred to the isle of Rendova. Due to its ideal location near Japanese naval routes, the patrol ship operates as a floating David against Japanese Goliath's, attempting to poke holes in the massive fleet. On one moonless night, PT-109 is rammed by a destroyer. Sliced in half, the crew is thrown into the water. What transpires next is a week worth of Lt. Kennedy led his men between nearby islands in hopes of rescue. Avoiding Japanese patrols,angry natives, and the limits of his physical body, Kennedy fights the unyielding elements without losing another member of his crew. 

PT 109 was a 1964 copyrighted comic book based on the 1963 film of the same name. Both versions lack the hyphen in their titles. The accounts of young Jack Kennedy are based on Robert J. Donovan's 1961 work PT-109: John F. Kennedy and World War II. The semi-autobiographical film was produced by Warner Bros. and starred Cliff Robertson (Charly) as JFK. 

This Gold Key adaptation was illustrated by Dan Spiegle (Space Family Robinson). Spiegle was noted for his eerily exact representations of famous people in the pages of numerous Gold Key and Dell works. The artist's Kennedy looks amazingly lifelike. Only sometimes the lieutenant looks like the real thing and sometimes Kennedy looks like actor Robertson. So there is realism, just not consistency in the renderings.

The cover, which depicts the patrol boat being eviscerated by that Japanese destroyer, was painted by Frank McCarthy. McCarthy first achieved notoriety for having painted a number of realistic covers for the pulp mag True Western Adventures. He was also behind the artwork of many theatrical posters in the 1960s and 70s, including The Dirty Dozen and Where Eagles Dare. The image used on this comic's cover was taken from the theatrical poster.

After World War II, John F. Kennedy would enter the world of politics. A member of the powerful Kennedy family of Massachusetts, the newly established war hero would serve his home state as both a congressman and senator. In 1960, JFK was elected the 35th president of the United States. Kennedy did manage to watch PT-109 at least once in his lifetime. He called the film 'a good product' but with a nearly 2.5 hour run time, the President thought it was a bit long. With the Sept. 1964 publication date, Kennedy likely never saw the comic adaptation as an assassin's bullet would take his life in November, 1963.

PT 109 was a commercial failure. But the film can be seen in regular rotation during certain holiday weekends on AMC and TCM.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #6 (Based on a True Story) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.