The Unofficial Archie Hostess Snack Ads Collection

We all know that during the 1970s and 80s, the heroes of DC Comics and Marvel fought crime with the assistance of Hostess Twinkies, cupcakes and fruit pies. But did you know that the teens from Riverdale used snack treats to improve their love lives?

Archie and his pals, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Josie and the Pussycats all manipulated the objects of their desire to fall head over the heels for them thanks to creamy vanilla frosting and delicious fruit filling. The most frequent purveyor of the delights was Josie, trying to either win over the muscular blonde roadie, Alan B. or attempting to outmaneuver her ditzy drummer who won all the hunks, Melodie. Sabrina mostly used her powers for good, conjuring tiny cakes for hungry kiddies she was babysitting. Meanwhile, Archie scored with both Betty and Veronica, thanks to Hostess, while Jughead was actually pretty chill, using an amazing withstand to not eat all the treats being advertised.

This unofficial collection was published by Trident Studios. They keep surprising me with these mini comics that pay homage to the advertisements disguised as comic books from my childhood. Included in this collection are several comic ad one-pagers that used Archie characters as four-colored pitchmen. Archie, Jughead and Betty went on a trio of three-part adventures in search of Capri Sun. Fruit snacks, make-at-home slush packs and even a universal video game controller were hawked by members of the Archies. 

I can't believe that I paid money for a bunch of old ads. I also cannot believe how much I enjoyed this trip through my childhood. The scans were vibrant and clear as crystal and the font size was big enough to enjoy without severe eye strain. I hope Trident has some more offerings up their sleeves. Though I can't imagine what else from the realm of commercial comic books is out there in need of collection and publication. I guess only time will tell.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Monster Fun Easter Special 2022

This Easter special is from 2022. Direct from the UK, because of customs, it came about 3 months after Easter had occurred that year. Then it took me 3 years to remember in time for the holiday that I had this book to read.

Easter comics are pretty rare. I think I can only think of enough to fill one hand worth of fingers. And with exception of 1 book, a Marvel one-shot from the 90s, none of the rest of them involves the death and resurrection of Jesus. But being a fan of holiday comics, I was excited nonetheless for a Springtime treat.

I got halfway through this magazine sized read when I started wondering what was Easter about this book? There was a story about a robot commando, a girl who's special makeup turned her into a monster and Dr. Frankenstein's monster losing yet another brain. Other than the cover that cleverly placed the stars of this book having an egg hunt on Easter Island, there wasn't a single appearance by a bunny was to be had. Tons of cats in a caper involving the felines trying to take over the world. But not 1 fluffy rabbit.

Then at the exact mid point of this issue do we finally get an appearance of the Easter Bunny. It's a funny fable about how a young boy gets to eat all of his family's Easter candy because he defeated the Easter Bunny. (At least that's what he tells his younger sibling.)  Then a temp agency where you hire monsters run by Dracula, decorates for Easter. Lastly, a little demon girl tries to help the Easter Bunny escape from the pits of Hades- to disastrous effect! Throw in a couple more creature capers and you've got about 9 stories with only 3 being holiday themed. 

I don't fault the 'Leopard From Lime Street' story for not taking place during Easter. It's a serial and possibly changing things to fit into the spirit of the season could upset the story flow. One story sees a little vampire girl going on a Spring vacation with her adopted human family. So while not a holiday book, it at least was seasonal.

Look, I get it. Easter isn't an easy holiday to craft stories about. There's only so many ideas involving bunnies and egg hunts you can come up with without getting stale. And very rarely do even Christmas comic books delve into the Christian elements. But  if only a third of your book is even focused on secular Easter festivities, maybe call it a 'Spring Holiday Special' instead.

I like Monster Fun. I think the stories are funny and I enjoy the art. Their Halloween and Christmas books have become must haves for me. I just wish that I wasn't set up for an accidental 3 year wait to fall so flat in terms of the amount of holiday material that I felt I was promised.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Walt Disney's Comics Digest #3

My biggest problem with a comic digest is if they are a holiday issue, that they're never 100% full of holiday material. It's not like Gladstone was hurting for Christmas stories. They could have made this whole 96-pager 1987, about Christmas, if they really wanted to.

The cover is obviously Christmas themed. It's a great gag by Walt Kelly. The opener is about Christmas. It's a Carl Barks classic that sees Donald Duck jealously battling his lucky duck cousin, Gladstone Gander, in a competition to see who is going to win the Christmas turkey raffle. Though in all honesty, you could have replaced Thanksgiving with Christmas in this story and you'd never know the difference.

6 stories remain. They star Disney comics mainstays such as Hazel the Witch, Mickey Mouse and the L'il Bad Wolf. And then there's a full length adaptation of Lady and the Tramp and I couldn't be in a more festive mood about it. 

I didn't realize it, but the 1955 animated film is book-ended by Christmas. Lady is gifted to her mistress on a snowy Christmas morning. Then the story ends a couple of years later with Lady having given birth to a litter on Christmas. These 2 scenes do not make Lady & the Tramp a Christmas movie. But I am counting it as part of the holiday cheer that comprises this book. 

(Side note: adding to Lady & the Tramp's connection to Christmas, a stuffed animal version of Lady was all the rage in the Christmas of 1985. Burger joint Hardee's offered versions of the pup along with a plush Pinnochio, Bambi and Dumbo. I remember how myself and all my classmates just had to have the whole set of 4!)

I should have reviewed this book a couple of years ago. I bought it 2 years ago after a trip to the mountains during Spring Break. I read it later that year. But somehow I accidentally filed it in my Christmas read box before giving my rating of the book. Overall, not a bad find for only a buck in a thrift store I had never visited before. And now it can go back into the correct section of my collection.

Worth Consumimg!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Twisted Toyfare Theatre, Vol. 5

Twisted Toyfare Theatre, or TTT, is the furthest thing from culturally appropriate. It's irreverent. It's juvenile. It's in very poor taste. Politically correct it is not. And yet, I've found myself needing it's patented blend of locker room humor.

In the 3 weeks since the school shooting in Georgia, the school I work at has received weekly threats of violence on social media. While our admin team and the local authorities have done an amazing job investigating the incidents and upped their security presence, the looming presence of threat after threat, week after week, has scared many of my students to their core. Despite having an anxiety disorder, I'm not scared about a school shooter as I've got a fairly good training on how to keep my classroom secure. I'm angry that this is a culture my kids have to live in. I'm weary. And frankly I'm tired and I just want to be able to feel comfortable in my classroom again.

That's where TTT comes in. I had some Amazon gift cards burning a hole in my pocket. A recent review lead to me including a link to this series which was a popular feature in the Wizard Magazine sister series, Toyfare. I was reminded that I didn't own all 11 or so volumes of The Best of Twisted Toyfare Theatre. Needing some joy, even at the expense of bad taste, after I finished that review I went to Amazon and promptly ordered 2 affordable volumes I didn't have.

Each volume starts with a foreword by a famous figure in the world of pop culture. This book sees Harley Quinn creator Paul Dini christening the hijinks. I didn't know that Dini was a writer on LOST. Even more shocking, I didn't know that 20 years ago, people such as Dini felt that the glut of films based on Marvel heroes such as Sony's Spider-Man and Fox's X-Men series, was the golden age of Marvel Movies! Those guys didn't think it could get any better. Oh, how wrong they would be with the coming of a little Marvel film starring Robert Downey Jr called Iron Man!

There's about 25 strips in this book. It begins with Doctor Doom facing off against MODOK and the Red Skull on Jeopardy!. Then, Spider-Man trains newly reformed villain, the Lizard, into becoming a superhero. The villains of Megoville have their weekly game night. Motorcycle patrol officers Ponch and John from CHiPS go on patrol. And then the ever lovin' Thing tells Franklin Richards a bed time story that only he can tell: the origin of Wolverine.

There's a trio of closing segments. 'The Official Handbook to the Twisted Toyfare Theatre' is always a delight. There's also a quiz about the pop culture references found in several past strips. Those behind the scenes pieces always interest me the most. Finally, there were a couple of new one-shot segments called 'Slideshow'. They take screenshots from classic cartoons and rewrite the dialogue into what's supposed to be something funny. However, both episodes were major groaners.

In terms of a guilty pleasure, place me in solitary! There's many jokes that were over the line when they first saw print 20 years ago. For 2024, these jokes are so far over that line, the line is a dot from the modern point of view! Yet, if I didn't have this new read, I probably would be a total mess. Inappropriate humor is how I blow off steam when situations are perhaps the darkest of times.

TTT might not be appropriate for the times. But it's Worth Consuming for me!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit Archives, Vol. 3

I could have finished this book in September. Only there was a Halloween story. So, I took a break until the week before All Hallow's. I read that seasonal tale and progressed until I hit the Thanksgiving story. Hitting the breaks again, this was my last Turkey Day read for 2023. I then kept reading until there came a Christmas caper! So I waited until I got a little bit closer to Santa's arrival. And then I forgot all about this book. 

I had picked up a collection of all of Will Eisner's Christmas Spirit stories. I think after I did the review, I probably got all mixed up in my head and combined that book with this one and just moved on. Thankfully, working on my comic book inventory and filing, I realized that I still had this book to finish. To my delight, I didn't mind all the delays because I really, really love The Spirit. 

This collection is early Will Eisner Spirit. At book's start, the Spirit has only been running in syndicated Sunday newspapers for a year. This edition marks the beginning of year 2 of the Spirit. Eisner's genius is showing through. However, many of those iconic villains have yet to be introduced yet. Arch-enemy, The Octopus and femme fatale P'Gell are about 5 years away from becoming a part of the Spirit's Rogue's Gallery. Childhood love turned law breaker Sand Sarif won't come back into the former Denny Colt's life for another decade. Despite some of these notable absences, there are still some memorable characters to be found inside.

The pint-sized P.S. Smith causes trouble for the Spirit and baddies alike for at least 2 hilarious stories. Spirit sidekick Ebony White has a number of misadventures with his cousin and other family members. And we can't forget Commissioner Dolan's daughter Ellen, who is madly in love with the Spirit. She works so freaking well as the Gal Friday and Kate Hepburn to the Spirit's Cary Grant/Spencer Tracy. But she's also great on her own; especially in a romp where Ellen joins an all-women's football team that's playing a team that is nothing but tough guys in drag attempting to beat the point spread!

By the start of break #1 in my reading of this book, I took to Amazon to buy up a couple more volumes. I knew that my wife wasn't going to get me these for my birthday or Christmas, so I was clear in buying up a couple of books. Thanks to remembering that I needed to review this collection, I went back to Amazon to snag a couple more. These Archive editions are not cheap. They retail for $49.99 and many are either out of print and that means whatever copies of those I manage to find are not cheap. But hopefully, I wind up with all 26 volumes and the complete run of original Will Eisner Spirit stories in my possession.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Christmas Spirit

Will Eisner's The Spirit ran as part of a 16-page syndicated supplement in newspapers from June, 1940 to October, 1952. During this print run, a total of 9 annual holiday set tales were published. (Eisner was drafted into the Army during the height of World War II, resulting in the yule tide Spirit capers to be postponed from 1942-1944.) These stories were published as 'The Christmas Spirit.' In these festive adventures, The Spirit takes a backseat; in fact, he's not even in a couple of these stories. The anti-hero formerly known as Denny Colt refuses to work on Christmas, claiming that another Spirit works in his stead every December 25th. For many fans, these are some of the most beloved stories from Will Eisner's most famous creation and I might just have to agree.

This 1994 trade paperback from Kitchen Sink Press collects all 9 stories. There's also an introduction by Eisner that no fan of comic books should overlook. It explains how the very Jewish Will Eisner came to create a yearly story that became a Christian holiday tradition for millions of readers.

To pick a favorite would be like picking the child you like most. There's so many great stories here. But if I had to select the one that was my least favorite, it would be December 1946's 'A Fable'. In this story, a trio of characters are accosted separately by Central City lowlifes. It turns out that these 3 men are ambassadors attempting to solve the crisis of Post World War II European reconstruction. Should they fail, the region will fall back into an endless cycle of conflict. Each one's individual assaults threaten that peace process. Why was it the winner of my least favored read? For one, the story was confusing. For second, the plot of the story is unbalanced, focusing on 2 of the ambassadors while seemingly forgetting the third altogether by page 2 of the tale.

A product of the 1940s and 50s, there are some outdated elements. Elements such as the exaggerated look of Spirit's sidekick, Ebony, have been lamented over often as poor decisions by Eisner. If you are willing to overlook those dreadful parts of history and see this book as a time capsule of how people thought and acted during the time period, you can enjoy this book. While it has its sins, The Christmas Spirit collection is a heck of a lot more positive than just about anything currently being released by any form of multi-media. 2023 feels like a time where nothing can improve. 1940-51 Christmas Spirit stories felt like there was a promise of a new day on the horizon. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Judge Dredd: Christmas is Cancelled

With a title such as 'Christmas is Cancelled', don't expect any of these holiday tales set within Mega City One to have happy endings. While the 8 or so stories are set within a dystopian society, there's a cheeky element to many of these tales. One story is a sci-fi parody of the Nativity complete with mutant versions of donkeys, sheep and cow. Another is a retelling of A Gift of the Magi which takes the selling of a body part to a new level. 

Featuring the talents of Al Ewing, John Wagner, Paul Marshall, Dave Taylor, this collection of Judge Dredd stories set during the month of December, this read is very British. Nothing is sacred. There's drugs. There's murder and violence. Both big government and even bigger business are corrupt. But unlike another book of similar material, this Rebellion Developments publication has something the previous didn't- HOPE. Because no matter how bad things get in the year circa 3000, there's always Joe Dredd and his fellow Judges to help bring about a semblance of law and order in hope of bringing forth a better tomorrow. 

Containing reprints from Xmases past from 2010-2014. This book was issued in gratuity with Judge Dredd Magazine #439; released December, 2021.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Darkwing Duck: Just Us Justice Ducks: Disney Afternoon Adventures, Vol. 1 (Family Comic Friday)

The Disney Afternoon. From 1990-97, Disney ran a 2-hour block of TV shows in the late afternoons after school let out. The event was syndicated, but eventually ran on the Disney Channel. Shows like Ducktales, Tailspin, The Adventures of the Gummi Bears and Darkwing Duck ran in a rotation that was a direct competition to Fox Kids. As part of the Disney Afternoon marketing campaign, Disney's publishing imprint released a monthly magazine called Disney Adventures.

Along with features on upcoming Disney TV shows and films, Disney Adventures contained comics! Stories based on the Disney Afternoon line-up, along with adaptations of long-form Disney films were released on a semi-regular schedule. As many of these stories were multi-parters, this rather irregular schedule meant that part one of a Ducktales story might be released on issue #1 but part two might not appear in print until issue #5!

Disney Afternoon Adventures Volume 1 was released in the summer of 2021. So yes, I am a little late maybe on reviewing something new. But the reason I found out about this book in the first place is because Volume 2 was released just last month and seeing the advertisement for that collection got me rather interested! Plus, I've really been digging some volumes from the Carl Barks Library lately and I've been wanting so more Disney goodness to read.

My kid sister is 12 years younger than me. So I am rather familiar with the stories despite the fact that I was 12-15 when the shows these comics were based on aired. Well, Ducktales actually came out in 1987 and I am a fool for anything with Uncle Scrooge in it! But everything else in this book was stuff that I probably was too old for. Yet, because of her, I'm actually pretty familiar with most of the material in this book. 

There's a lot of short stories in this edition and they are rather fun little reads. But the highlights of this book are the two larger stories that take up much of the real estate of this 200-pager. First up was a comic adaptation of A Goofy Movie. The second tale was a 5-part adventure that crossed-over all the way from Tailspin to Darkwing Duck, with Goof Troop, Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers and Ducktales filling in the gaps! A crossover that wasn't really a crossover, it was an epic romp on par with the works of Carl Barks, Don Rosa and William Van Horn! 

By the way- did you know that Tailspin took place 50 years before Ducktales and the other members of the Disney Afternoon? I didn't either. But now I understand why there weren't any flying pirates in modern day Duckburg!

I really enjoyed this book. I just wished that Fantagraphics did a better job letting fans know where these stories originally appeared. In the Carl Barks books, the level of research and background material on the Donald Duck stories is professional grade stuff. Here, we get a small bit of info on the material of origin on the ISBN info page and it's printed in a font of 3 at best!

A 3rd volume is scheduled for release in July. Hopefully, I can get both volumes for a good price. And hopefully, the amount of background material will get even better. Sure, these volumes are targeted for millenials and their children. But surely, even 30-something comic book lovers will delight in knowing more about the publishing and design history of these stories!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Monster Fun Halloween Spooktacular

A little unusual background about this UK Halloween special. It was published last October over in England. However, due to whatever reasons, shipping delays, customs, you name it, I didn't buy this book new until later this past spring. That means I've been hanging on to this tabloid sized release for quite some time.

In the spirit of British publications such as Beano, Monster Fun isn't a brand new anthology. Instead, it's a revival of a cult favorite weekly magazine from 1975-76. That book along with this bi-monthly reboot is aimed at readers aged 7-12, containing series devoted to the more macabre, unusual and bizarre comic book characters from across the pond. Most of the stories are humorous franchises. Yet, there are a couple of more dramatic pieces included in this book.

According to the publisher, this special was 48 pages in length. But it felt longer than that and mostly in a good way. The Monster Fun Halloween Spooktacular read to me like a deluxe British version of the Sunday funny pages. About half of the stories were less than 2 pages in length, making for some immediate laughs. Of the remaining segments, I don't think anything was longer than 8 pages.

My favorite segment was probably the Leopard From Lime Street, about a teenager who is granted the mystical powers of the jungle cat when he's attacked by one at the local zoo. It was a legit superhero story with a creepy antagonist and great art. French artist, Laurent Lefeuvre's work is a cross between Francesco Francavilla (Afterlife With Archie) and Derek Charm (Star Wars Adventures). I'm really hoping to find more adventures of this character in the future.

Another favorite was the superhero parody starring the classic duo known as the Birdman, and Chicken and their new partner, the Sparrow. It's All Hallows Eve and the 3 heroes are summoned to save the city from Solomon Grundy of all people! Grundy is a character of folk legend. But wonder if this version is in any way affiliated with DC'S big baddie...

Other enjoyable stories involved a company of monsters trying to compete with the internet in the no-quite-so lucrative jump scare business, a young girl who helps her father save his fledgling studio by putting on an impromptu blockbuster horror picture, and family that goes on a Halloween yard sale for some spooky bargains. (BTW are Halloween yard sales a thing in the UK? Because if so, I am in!)

A lot of the remaining stories were entertaining, just not favs. But there was a story inside that I absolutely hated. Called Sweeney Toddler, The Demon Baby, it's a story about a devil of a toddler with foul intentions and that emirates even more foul odors. The story was one endless diaper joke after another. With it's what I am assuming cockney slang, the yarn was also darn near impossible to understand. I thought that this was a gross parody of the British version of Dennis the Menace that I couldn't wait for to be over. Ironically, the ending was most cerebral thing about the whole thing. Neat twist ending. But not enough to save it in my opinion.

I also really liked the lead story that starred Frankie Stein. Mostly for the amazing array of Easter Eggs that artist John Lucas peppers throughout the short. Speaking of Easter, I recently got a copy of this year's Monster Fun Easter Special and I can't wait until next spring to read it! Mostly because it's extremely rare to score an Easter related comic in the states for some reason...

Lots of British fun. But you'll need to check with your favorite LCS for availability due to the really wonky delayed releasing of this series.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Official Prince Valiant Collection (Vol. 1)

A young prince rises through the ranks of King Arthur's Court. Thus begins the saga of Hal Foster's Prince Valiant. 

I'm not sure where I scored this over-sized collection of early newspaper comics. I think it might have come from a grab bag which is a pretty nice find if that's the case. Nearly 100 pages of story. 

That had to be how I came across this book. As a child, I loved the dynamic artwork of Prince Valiant. But the writing and lack of word bubbles bored me to tears. Prince Valiant was always the lead feature in my area's Sunday Funnies. Yet, there never was anything funny about it. Plus, with the story being continued week after week, if you missed anything, you were totally lost.

That's why I appreciate this collection. At least 3 stories are collected in their entirety here and there's a beginning of a fourth. Though the cover doesn't say it, this is supposed to be volume 1 of a continuing series. However, I don't think publisher Pioneer was in business long enough to produce other volumes. There is a small shining light of hope to all this as Pioneer did manage to release 18 issues and an annual of further Prince Valiant material. So I could continue the story if I ever felt like searching for the other 15 issues not covered by this edition.

This book does manage to collect the very first stories of Prince Valiant. Getting to read the character's origin story was really cool. It's set at a time where dinosaurs are dying off but there's just enough for folks to think they're dragons and monsters. The aspect of Prince Valiant not just being around in the days of King Arthur's Court but also as a full-fledged member of Camelot was new to me. The original full title of Hal Foster's series was Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur. However, by the 1980s when I first encountered the strip it was simply shortened to Prince Valiant.

A lot must be said of Hal Foster's work. Yet, I don't think it all could be put into words. There's an air of realism mixed with bravado in Foster's art. Every character looks modeled after a movie matinee idol. The scenery is given just as much loving eye to detail as the characters. And Foster's prose is a mix of Old English bard and 1930s pulp.

I enjoyed this read. I think I was finally old enough to enjoy it. Having a bunch of the strips in order helped too. Though the editing of them was a bit hap-hazard. Whomever was in charge of formatting this book did happen to number the panels, often of different shapes and sizes, from time to time. But I shouldn't have to find panel #3 right next to panel #8 of the next page over!

Swashbuckling action in the vein of Errol Flynn or in this case: Robert Wagner. Google it!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Nancy (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Ernie Bushmiller's Nancy is one of those anomalies that I just don't understand. The eternal 8-year with an attitude has a cult following. Cartoonists like Fred Hembeck devote literal volumes of his work to the genius of the Nancy strips. Nancy was once the muse of Andy Warhol and star of her own animated feature on Saturday mornings in the 70s. Books have been written to help the uninitiated to navigate how to read Nancy comics. There's even been college level courses devoted to it!

And I just didn't understand why- until now!

This collection of Nancy strips chronicles the first year run of Olivia Jaimes. Not her real name. In fact, Jaimes physical appearance is very much in doubt. But in 2018, Olivia Jaimes became the first woman to ever create Nancy strips. With Jaimes at the helm, Nancy returned to its Ernie Bushmiller roots. But she also brought Nancy into the 21st century!

The Nancy strip didn't even start out as Nancy. The series first debuted as Fritzi Ritz. Fritzi was a young flapper, later an actress. In 1925, Fritzi creator Larry Whittington left the series and was replaced by Bushmiller. It wasn't until 8 years later that Fritzi took on a roommate, her niece, Nancy. By 1938, for unknown reasons, Fritzi became Nancy's legal guardian and the de facto supervising adult to not only Nancy, but her best friend, Sluggo. 

It was in 1938 that Nancy earned her own self-titled spin-off. Fritzi continued to star in her own strip until the late 60s. But the popular title was clearly Nancy. Bushmiller won several awards and gained his cult following. Sadly, by 1978, Bushmiller was diagnosed with Parkinson's. A team of artists including Legion of Superheroes' Al Plastino assisted the artist and even ghosted many strips until replacing Bushmiller when he died in 1982. 

Jumping back to 2018. Though Ernie Bushmiller's run had become the stuff of legend and Guy Gilchrist (and brother Brad) had a loyal following, less than 100 papers nationwide carried the strip. Editors conducted a lengthy talent search before finally landing on the mysterious Olivia Jaimes. Hopefully new blood could booster some new readership.

The strip was the first such work for Jaimes. The new creator won a fair share of critics and fans with her modernist approach to Nancy. New characters including a teacher and frowny-faced classmate, Esther, were added along with an after-school STEM club in robotics, a peppering of non-sequiturs and the meme-inducing proclamation that 'Sluggo is Lit.' But along with the 21st century changes, Jaimes re-invigorated the classically clean art style of Bushmiller.

Aesthetically, Aunt Mitzi became less of a sex pot and more of a single mom now. Though her face is still from the roaring 20s! But Nancy retained her iconic outfit and spiky hair. Sluggo still dressed like one of the Bowery Boys. But the inks were super clean and the settings returned to simplistic, compared to Gilchrist whose style was more exaggerated. Plus, if you ask me, the Gilchrist strips looked more suited for Betty Boop animation than Ernie Bushmiller newsprint.

The majority of the strips in this collection of Jaimes Nancy was funny if not at least entertaining. There's some Bizarro or Rhymes with Orange level oddities mixed in that I just didn't get. But I can see why Nancy has her fans. When we can't express our angst and frustrations, Nancy is there to tell it like it is. Without fear. Without care. But sadly sometimes without a discernible punchline...

Worth Consuming! 

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #17 (With a One Word Title) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Captain America: The Korvac Saga (Family Comic Friday)

It's confession time. I've never read the entire Korvac Saga. I've read the first few issues of what is considered the prelude. When I was reading the original Guardians of the Galaxy Omnibus, I read the issues of The Avengers that guest-starred Yondru, Charlie-27 and Vance Astro. I had every intention to read the rest of the story. But I got to reading something else and next thing I know 7 years have passed. 

Recently, I found this book. A little big bigger than a digest, this volume reprints the 4-issue miniseries of the same name from 2011. This version of the Korvac Saga takes place quite early in the revived career of Captain America. A born military leader, Cap is butting heads with Iron Man over leadership of the team. Iron Man is more used to going with his gut on making a plan. For Captain America, everything is a chess game in a strategic plan of attack. 

As the story is opening up, the Avengers are getting their butts handed to them by a bunch of C-listers like Quasimodo and the Living Laser. Thanks to mostly sheer luck, the Avengers discover that these underdog villains had their powers and armor upgraded by a supposedly random nobody hacker named Michael Korvac. The capture of Korvac feels too easy to Cap. So he goes to the local jail in hopes of getting some answers. Instead, Captain America is meet by a group of super-powered mystery men who claim to be a sort of intergalactic police force from the year 3000 and they want Korvac back immediately! 

Then everything goes wonky...

Now Steve Rogers finds himself thrust into future. Kovac has revealed himself to be an insane android. And did we mention Korvac has taken control of future Galactus' warship? Threatening to destroy the entire universe, Cap must team with these Guardians of the Galaxy by storming the TAA II and claim the ultimate nulifier in order to stop an ultimate evil!

Captain America: The Korvac Saga was a fun read. But it was rated A for All Ages. Based on the fact that the original Korvac Saga was Comics Code Approved, it was all ages too. Technically. So why did we need a reboot? Was this an attempt by Marvel to garner interest in Captain America in younger readers in anticipation for 2011's The First Avenger? If so, why use the Guardians? 

And don't say that this book was designed to boost the Guardians in the eyes of young readers! Their movie wasn't for another 4 years. Plus, this isn't even the Star Lord, Groot and Rocket Raccoon version the team we're dealing with! And with Sony owning rights to Galactus and considering how obscure Korvac is to the casual Marvel reader, this miniseries being rated All Ages just doesn't make sense to me.

Don't get me wrong. This was an exciting book. Justice League Unlimited's Ben McCool's story is modern with a nostalgic touch. Craig Rousseau's (Marvel Her-oes) art and inks are dynamic. But the dialogue is terse, the vocabulary is too advanced and the lines are too thin for an All Ages read. I'd say this was more of a 11 and up type read. Maybe go 12 or 13. I know that kids read and differing levels. But I can't see a 4 year old reading this.

Featuring Avengers #167, the opening salvo of the original Korvac storyline, this is a volume older readers will probably enjoy more than the kiddies. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Christmas Comic Posters

I could have bought and read this book 2 years ago. It sat on the graphic novel book shelf of my favorite comic book store all this time. The title threw me. I thought a poster book was just that- a collection of posters to hang on your wall. I certainly judged a book by it's cover!

What Christmas Comic Posters actually is is a collection of front page of select British Christmas comics offered to the public from roughly 1884 to 1941 Back when newsprint was the dominant source of news and entertainment, a variety of newspapers would offer weekly inserts of comics. Yearly, those inserts would get the yule tide treatment and be offered as a separate purchase to readers young and old. 

The papers used in this book are from the collection of Denis Gifford, who in 1991 was one of the leading authorities in British comics. Gifford also writes the little blurbs about the comics on the following page. And that's where we get the poster book name from. 

See in the UK, art books are designed with the attributing info on the back so that if someone really liked the image, they could remove the picture from the book without damaging information about the remaining images. I'm kinda okay with this idea. Only if you were intending for the pages to be removed, I would've opt with perforated paper!

The majority of the characters are relatively unknown to non-British citizens. There is a cameo of Charlie Chaplin. Beano and Dandy, which some American comic fans might know of, have entries in this book. But the addition I was most excited about was the inclusion of Mickey, Donald, Goofy and friends from a comic called Mickey Mouse Weekly. 

Now to talk about the elephant in the room. No- I am not talking about the actual elephant on this book's cover. But the cover does offer a hint to what I am going to discuss. Readers should keep in mind that this book is about humor and art from the pre-Civil rights era. During this time, a very popular toy in England was a doll called a Golliwog. Generally a black male with white rimmed eyes, giant red lips, frizzy hair and vintage clothing; the Golliwog was a kind of minstrel Ken doll. 

Today, the Golly as it is sometimes referred, is considered a very racist character. Even the name is offensive. Up until just a couple of minutes ago, I didn't even know that these toys had a name. So, I am not reporting on this information to be offensive. As with many of my reviews, I like to teach about the history of comics and pop culture along with give my opinion. And that's what I am doing here. 

If you wish to own a copy of this book, you should note that a image of the doll appears in roughly 80% of these holiday comics. It's not front and center mind you. You kinda have to do a 'Where's Waldo?' that search for them. But they are just one of several things considered out of date or 'cancellable' found in this book.

I thought the overall book was beautiful. The intricate detail on everything. They just don't make art like that these days. If you love the artwork of Richard Scarry, George Perez and Frank Quietly, you should enjoy this book. I only wish that Mr. Gifford would have focused a little more on the characters that star on the previous page instead of the publication history. Maybe even discuss that troubling history of some of the imagery included. Other than that, I enjoyed this book.

Yes, I know that there's a lot of outdated concepts here. Some sexist. Some racist. A few are topical to the day and jokes that just don't make sense to a 21st century Yank. And if you are wondering who that Father Christmas bloke is- that's Santa Claus, silly!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Bizarro Comics

Bizarro Comics is a rather odd collection of stories written and illustrated by a star-studded cast from the realm of Indy comics. It's book-ended by a Mr. Mxyzptlk/Bizarro yarn that's straight out of Chuck Jones' Looney Tunes!

An alien conqueror arrives in the 5th Dimension with the intent of adding it to his domain. But this despot wants to be fair. He's willing to play a series of games (best out of 5) for the plain of existence. 

With Mxy appointed as the de facto ruler of the 5th Dimension, it's the imp's role to win those games. But when he's caught cheating, Mxyzptlk must appoint a substitute champion. Naturally, he wants Superman to win the games for him. But what version? Faced with the Golden Age Man of Steel, that time the Man from Tomorrow's head was replaced with an ants, and that ill-fated electric Superman from the 90s, Mr. Mxyxptlk stumbles upon Bizarro! 

Not the Superman he was hoping for, a technicality makes Bizarro the champion of the 5th Dimension. And that's where the craziness really begins. 

Sidekicks, giant apes, teen angst and an apocalyptic concert for the ages, there was a wide assortment of stories in this book. But what really was the selling point for me was the inclusion of the Letitia Lerner: Superman's Babysitter story that resulted in the recall and ban of the Elseworlds 80-Page Giant. 

That legendary comic has now since been re-released (and I own a copy) but it was a while before I finally got around to reading. Actually, No! That's not true. This is a re-read. But other than that Elseworlds tale, I just don't remember this book at all. Now that I think about it, I must have checked this out from the library and then later found a really cheap copy. 

Yeah. That's what I did!

Was it worth a second chance? Yeah. For the most part. Some of those stories were truly weird. But I enjoyed the chance to substitute some 2020 insanity for some good ol' fashioned DC Comics lunacy. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars. 

The Big Book of the Unexplained

Of the several editions of Big Books that I am reading during social distancing, The Big Book of the Unexplained was the one I was looking forward to the most. And it was the most disappointing. 

Written by the creator of Deathlok, Doug Moench, I was really excited to read this collection of accounts of the strange and unknown. I love UFOs, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and all that paranormal stuff that has us stymied. I'm the type of person that feels that there's got to big a hint of truth to these accounts. They may not be what we think they are or happened how we might recall the events occurred. But I am sure a lot of it was real events.

The host of this book is Charles Fort, a research of the paranormal and macabre around the turn of the 20th century. Had I not read within the past year or so a book about the Fortean Times, I probably wouldn't have any idea who he was. But I did and I appreciated his appearances throughout the book. Well, at first.

However, Moench keeps having Charles Fort talking about this cosmic trickster. And he keeps getting all whimsical and philosophical about this being. Maybe he's talking about God or gods. But that's beside the point. Moench devotes a lot of his time to this powerful being instead of focusing on what I was hoping for- lots and lots of accounts of the unexplained. 

While I appreciate the use of a narrator or host, they haven't seemed to really work in the Big Books. The 70s book had a host and it was the weakest part of that entire volume. I feel the same about Fort here. But unlike in the 70s book where the host was only at the beginning of each chapter, Charles Fort is at the beginning and ending of each section. Rod Sterling or even Jack Palance, he is not!

When it focuses on the unusual, it's good. But it goes off on tangents a lot!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The Big Book of the 70s

Marie Severin, Rick Geary, Joe Orlando and dozens more fan favorite artists bring the 1970s back to life in The Big Book of the 70s.

While not everything that made the 70s my favorite decade is adequately covered in this book, there's a lot of biggies here. The Pet Rock. Watergate. Vietnam. Punk and Disco. This book is supposed to be about 1970-1979. Yet, a good portion of this book looks at the years that led to the Me-Decade as well as the aftermath of the decades that followed. But then again, any history book worth it's salt must focus on both the cause and effects of history!

I did learn a lot about things of the 70s that I knew very little to nothing about. Things like how the Sex Pistols got their name. Just who is Gary Gilmore? And there was tons of fun facts peppered throughout this book.

I wasn't such a big fan of the writing. The Witching's Jonathan Vankin does a good job at presenting the facts. But he puts too much of his own commentary into the book. I was quite surprised how anti-Jerry Brown the author is. Same with Jimmy Carter. But he really skewers Reagan and portrays the 80s icon as a demon. Quite unfairly, I must say...

One subject I was surprised is absent here was the rise of the gay community. Harvey Milk is completely absent from this book. There's also nothing about the Black Panthers. And this has got to be the first book I've ever read that covers the 1970s and doesn't dip it's toe into the sensationalism that is Jim Jones and the Jonestown massacre! 

Maybe not the most complete look at 10 turbulent years in world history. But you learn things that have been glossed over in American history as well. I didn't know we had a meat shortage in the 70s and I am a professional chef.  But hey, we got to learn about the 1970s in graphic novel/comics form. And that's pretty groovy!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: a very fitting 7 out of 10 stars.

The Big Book of Urban Legends (A Madman Re-Read)

This is a re-read for me. 

The Big Book of Urban Legends is a collection of the best of the best tales told from a friend of a friend. The vanishing hitchhiker. Mikey from Life Cereal commercials died eating pop rocks and coke. The madman under the car waiting to slice the ankles of ladies putting their groceries in their car. And dozens upon dozens more.

And let's talk about the art talent. Arthur Adams (Fantastic Four), Fred Hembeck (Fred Hembeck Destroys the Marvel Universe), Trina Robbins (Wonder Woman) and so many more. 

One thing I didn't realize until reading this again is that the artists did not write the scripts. The book itself comes from noted folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand (Curses! Broiled Again!) It's so amazing how varied the storytelling was. I did not originally suspect that one writer was involved.

A great read. I'm not known for reading very many things one than once. That I read this over 200 page collection once more speaks volumes. 

Out of print. But still on Amazon! If you love Urban Legends- this is a must read!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Twisted Toyfare Theatre, Volume 7

OH MY GOD!

I can't believe that I've been sitting on this book for so long and I hadn't read it yet! I have 5 of the 11 published volumes. I've read the first 4 books literally a dozen times. Needing a gigantic pick-me-up, I grabbed my stash of TFTs and gave them another read. And then we've got this one!

It's full of later era Toyfare productions. The photography, set designs, and special effects has taken a quantum leap. But the humor is the same as usual. 

THANK GOD!

My sense of humor is more surrealist, black comedy stuff. Things like Monty Python, The Tick, and Deadpool. But when things get closer to toilet humor (and none of the 3 previously mentioned franchises are innocent of diving into that end of the pool), I DO tend to shy away. Yet, if you have a bunch cheaply made 1970s toys acting out explosive diarrhea, violence and general horseplay, I am a sucker for it. 

This is a big reason I am a huge fan of Robot Chicken! Which interestingly enough, some of the writers and staff, including Tom Root (and one one occasion, Seth Green) cut their teeth on Twisted Toyfare Theatre! No wonder I love it.

There's 6 more volumes left. 4 more than I thought. Sadly, these suckers are not easy to find. Currently out of print, and likely never to be reprinted again due to Wizard Magazine having gone defunct, the volumes I can find are not cheap. But man, do I want the whole series!

Featuring a surreal forward from Weird Al and more entries from the Official Handbook of Twisted Toyfare Theatre- this was a pleasant surprise on my bookshelves!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Catwad: It's Me, Two (Family Comic Friday)

Family Comic Friday digs into it's massive read pile to introduce you to an all-ages romp starring your new favorite grumpy cat, Catwad!

Catwad: It's Me, TwoWritten and Illustrated by Jim Benton
Published by Scholastic
Pages: 128
Retail: $8.99

2019 was not a good year for cat icons. We lost both the frowny-faced Siamese, Grumpy Cat and the adorable Lil Bub with her ever present tongue that stuck out. With their losses, this cat lover's heart was ripped into shreds. Thankfully, 2019 introduced us to a new adorable kitty- Catwad!

Catwad is a sarcastic blue fur ball who lives with his roommate, the rather dim Blurmp. Catwad loves terrorize Blurmp from making him think that there are zombies in the basement to playing a wide assortment of practical jokes. However, a lot of times the joke is on Catwad as much of Blurmp's antics gets his roommate into some sticky situations- literally!

Catwad is the creation of Clyde's Jim Benton. Benton builds upon the formula of a snarky cat who is bothered by his housemates, like with Jim Davis' Garfield. But Benton adds alternate dimensions, fantasy and twist endings to make Catwad a truly unique comic. I chuckled so many times at the antics of these two kitties.

What really makes Catwad so funny is the writing. Jim Benton has got to be a cat owner. Because someone with an aversion to gatos would not be able to capture the way those crazy felines act. I could so see some of my cats getting into the mischief Catwad and Blurmp do.

This collection of short stories might have an occasional zombie or vampire, but they're not scary.  Catwad is recommended for readers aged 8-12 but I think older readers and grown-ups will enjoy this too. There's a hint of Ren and Stimpy in this book without the intense level of gross-outs. Though some parents make object to some of the Tom and Jerry acts of violence that occur in this book.

For example, one more than one occasion, Catwad loses his tail by some mishap. But by the next story, it's grown back. (I think Alfred, my tailless wonder, would love to be able to do that!)

It's Me, Two is the second collection of Catwad stories. The first book, It's Me debuted in the Spring of 2019. If the young reader in your life falls in love with these felines, then be on the look out for book three, set to debut this April!

Need some laughs? Then let the cat out of the book with these hilarious collections published by Scholastic!

The first two volumes of Catwad are currently available in print and digital formats!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Christmas and Archie

I didn't know that Archie Comics made tabloid sized anything! I appear to not be the only comics collector who felt this way. But earlier this year, I found this rare Archie holiday special from 1975 at my favorite thrift store. And I just had to add it to my Christmas comics collection!

I found the book for the price of $8. All of the games and puzzles were filled in. Some panels were graffitied with names and silly images. Plus the coloring pages were marked up too! All with red ink!

I took to my phone to find anything out about this book and other than an image of the cover, I found nothing! None of the databases I use had this book listed either. Later when I shared my find to the collector groups that I am a member of, those guys went nuts over my discovery. 

So despite all the markings, I think I did pretty good getting this for the price I did. 

There's 3 or 4 regular sized stories in this book. For the most part, they are all full of festive fun. Though one story felt like it was an non-holiday story that had patch put on top of the original dialogue with some Christmas key words.

None of these stories have any credits to the art and writing staff. So I'm not 100% sure that the stories were reprints or original material. My guess is based on the other tabloid books published around this time period, it's all reprinted material; probably from the late 60s to early 70s. 

Still this collection is a mystery to me. Archie Comics was, and still is, known for releasing it's reprinted material in tiny digest format. Christmas and Archie appears to be the publisher's only experiment with over-sized treasuries. 1975 was about when DC and Marvel introduced tabloid specials to market. Thus, it makes sense that Archie tried (and probably failed) to produce a line of tabloids of their own.

Christmas and Archie was a Santa's bag of holiday fun. I love having added it to my collection. But I will definitely be open to getting another unblemished copy added to my collection. Such a thing has to be for the right price of course.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.