DC Dog Days of Sumer Special #1

8 action packed adventures for all you DC Comics fans. 

A $9.99 price tag might be pretty steep for most of you. But I am a holiday themed comic addict and since I was going on vacation this week, I could not pass it up. 

There's quite a few of DC's best working on this book including Dan DiDio, G. Willow Wilson, Stjepan Sejic and a cool-looking cover by Francis Manpul. While there's an impressive list of talent on this book, the quality of the stories do vary. 

The best stories were:

• A Killer Croc tale of the crime lord's Miami origins, set in the Everglades.
• Beast Boy's feats of strength during his much needed summer vacay.
• Red Lantern Dex-starr teaches a milquetoast the benefits of rage when some Khund vacationers go on the war path.
• On a jungle safari, Animal Man must protect his family when an ancient menace targets them as his next meal. 

The worst:

• A Superman and Krypto team-up. The story of the duo facing an alien menace was good. But the art was really poor. 

In the middle was:

• A Justice League story involving a Minotaur named Ferdinand. His quest to find a suitable main course for the League's BBQ was admirable, especially since I am a professional chef. But I don't know this character and that made it hard to make a connection with the story.  
• Captain Carrot's cartoon world is undergoing a CRISIS. With Earth-23's Superman out of commission, the bunny must rely on the grim and gritty Atomic Batman of Earth-17 whose all about logic Yet, with the sun feeling unappreciated, the only way to save the day means relying on some hilarious cartoon physics! Again, the art wasn't all that great. But it seemed to match this Looney Tunes inspired tale.

If you are keeping count, I just mentioned 7 stories. That's because #8 is one that I couldn't decide whether I loved it or hated it. It involved a pair of drunks deciding to ride an untamed bull (wearing a pained on smiley face) at a county fair. To the rescue is Batcow! This was an absurd story that had some hi-highs and some groan-worthy lows. I'm sure that I don't feel okay with this story. I just don't know whether to hate it or love it. 

Overall, I enjoyed this special very much. For the most part, the stories were great. It was the artwork that wasn't, in my opinion, DC Comics quality. If you are going on a vacation anytime this summer, pick up the DC Dog Days of Summer Special. Almost perfect for reading on a breezy evening after a long day of fun in the sun.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Superman Family Adventures #7

   

   I went a little bonkers at the library last week. They had several issues of Superman Family Adventures in library binding and I couldn't resist. I love the work of Baltazar and Franco and anytime I can get my hands on some new stuff, I jump.

   As I have mentioned before, these comics are intended for kids. But that's okay because Baltazar and Franco realize this. They also understand that parents will be reading these to their kids and so they include really great Easter eggs that only the adults enjoy.

  For starters, I read issue #7. In this issue, the Toyman sets his sights on the younger members of the Superman Family who've invited their friends Beat Boy and Starfire to the Fortress of Solitude for a Kryptonian Tooth Fairy party. Toyman is up to his usual bag of tricks decking out some sweet Justice League action figures to attack the superheroes. There are some really cool cameos, but I would have to say my favorite was udders down, Batcow!

This is another gem in the DC Kids treasury. Lots of fun for parents and kids to both enjoy. There's also a fun "What's Robot Bug Saying?" deciphering game through the book, plus a glossary, and some review questions that are great exercises for kids who might be interested in creative writing.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.