Little Lulu: The World's Best Comic Book One-Shot (Free Comic Book Day 2019)

I don't think I would have given Little Lulu and her portly pal Tubby the time of day if it wasn't for two sources. First was the writings of Fred Hembeck in his massive omnibus. In his collection of writings, Hembeck fondly reminisces of the comic strip quite often. I felt if it's good enough for Mr. Hembeck, whom I actually play a music trivia game against online, then it's good enough for me. Only I didn't have any Little Lulu stuff on hand to read.

Then I was reunited with a copy of the 1981 museum quality collection: A Smithsonian Book of Comics. There was a bunch of Little Lulu and Tubby stories. All of them hilarious! While I did feel that there was more of them than some of the other characters and artists to be fairly represented in that volume, I didn't run into a single stinker of the comic strip creation from the artist known as Marge.

This Free Comic Book Day offering from Drawn and Quarterly is yet another comic that I meant to provide the members of my school's comic book club and lost within the cluttered mire of my backseat. As we're on a road trip this week, I had to get the car completely cleaned out and that's when I ran into this. 

Little Lulu: The World's Best Comic Book is an assortment of strips and stories taken from Drawn and Quarterly's 2019 and earlier line of Little Lulu and Tubby treasuries. The works of artist John Stanley are featured in this issue. Next to Marge, Stanley is perhaps the franchise's most well known cartoonist. He's Little Lulu's Carl Barks. I've read some of Stanley's non-Lulu material and wasn't blown away by it. Those works felt too childish for me. But here, it felt like I was taken back to the 1940s where kids had free range of the neighborhood and creativity and imagination at play was what kept children occupied compared to the soul sucking TV, video games and cell phones of today.

The best story is the opener in which Lulu looks forward to scaring Tubby with the new mask she bought. Only Tubby has one too. In fact, it seems that all of the kids in town have the same mask!

Another memorable adventure sees Tubby trying to find gold with a divining rod. It's got a lot of great one liners. Some fantastic observations that only come from the mouths of precocious babes. And a heartwarming ending. 

I'm really thinking that I'm going to take advantage of some of these collections, if I can ever find them for a fantastic deal. John Stanley really knows how to write dialogue like a child. He's got that innocence mixed with heavy doses of cynicism and prosecution like Harper Lee did so masterfully in To Kill A Mockingbird. I can see now why he's considered a legend of comic book cartooning!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Minecraft/Incredibles 2 Free Comic Book Day 2019 #1

That day where I was stuck in my car with no phone and nothing good on the radio netted 2 comics that somehow fell out of my bag of books to share with the students at my school. This one is a double feature starring the world of the popular video game, Minecraft and Disney's Incredibles. 

I've never played Minecraft. I don't really know that much about the game. There's this green thing called a Creeper. Kids get really good designing stuff on the game. That's about it. 

I learned a little bit more about the game from this short story. There's players who like to destroy people's property called Griefers. The destruction is done with impunity and the poor victims have to start all over again just for the whole process to repeat itself. If that's how the game is, I sure don't want to play it. However, I did enjoy this game set ghost story. While I might not want to play Minecraft, I wouldn't mind reading another story or two about the comings and goings of the franchise.

Story #2 involves the super powered Parr family from Disney and Pixar's Incredibles franchise. During a seemingly fun day at a parade, robotic drones attack the giant balloons. Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl and the kids save the day. However, the big baddie gets away. 

The event leaves mom and dad really drained. Thinking some alone time is what they need, Violet and Dash arrange to babysit baby Jack-Jack while the folks go to a movie. To ensure that date night isn't ruined by calamity, the kids go on patrol, only wind up face to face with the villain from the parade and squad of his souped up drones!

It was interesting to see these two separate franchises in the same book. Sure, this is a Free Comic Book Day promotional item in which both properties were released by Dark Horse. All that makes sense to me. Only I thought Disney was so anti-cross promotional, that I didn't think it was possible here. From what I know about modern Disney, I would expect the Incredibles to be solo stars of their own FCBD release or be teamed with another Pixar franchise. 

Go figure. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars. 

The Loud House (2017 FCBD) (Family Comic Friday)

With it being the first week of school, I just didn't have time to read a new book for this week's review. Not to fret. I've got a stack of books that I've read but yet to review. 

The book I chose from my pile is a 2017 Free Comic Book Day offering from Papercutz and the kid friendly cable network, Nickelodeon. Based on the long running animated series of the same name, The Loud House is the story of young Lincoln Loud. Lincoln is the only boy and middle child of a family of 11 kids. That means Lincoln has 5 older sisters and 5 younger sisters.

Being the only boy in the family is hard. He never gets into the bathroom. He has to wait forever to use the phone. And when it comes to watching anything he wants on TV; forget it! At least Lincoln gets his own room. But life in a house full of 10 sisters is anything but serene. 

The premise of this series has Lincoln breaking the fourth wall to tell viewers (or in the case of this comic book, readers) how chaotic things can be. To get a little peace and quiet, or just the upper hand, Lincoln schemes and plans. Past capers have involved Lincoln working to get the best seat on the family van and trying to survive a zombie-like flu that is wiping out Loud siblings one by one. 

Don't think just because this freebie was from 2017 that fans of the show won't be able to enjoy the comic antics of Lincoln and his sisters. Papercutz has released 18 graphic novels based on the Loud House with the latest volume released just this summer!

The Loud House was an adorable book. I felt like Lincoln Loud was a mix of Kevin McCallister and Bart Simpson without any of the real obnoxious bits. Those elements are for his 10 sisters. Even though his 10 sisters drive Lincoln crazy, deep down, they love each other and if someone was to hassle brother Loud, the Loud sisters would bring down some swift vengeance. That's because the only one that gets to pick on Lincoln is his sisters!

A must for fans of the series.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Star Wars Adventures (2019 Free Comic Book Day Edition)

This 2019 Free Comic Book Day offering features a scary story starring Han Solo and Chewbacca. Only it's not the real Han Solo. I don't care that this is a comic book. But the version of Han illustrated in this book is the Alden Ehrenreich Solo origin film version. The only (acceptable) version of Han Solo is Harrison Ford. Plain and simple. There is no substitute. 

Now one thing added to the appeal of this book is that this is a Tales From Vader's Castle story. Since 2018, Star Wars fans have been delighted by an annual all-ages horror themed anthology set in the Star Wars Universe. It's become a new Halloween tradition. However, there's no such thing as Halloween in Star Wars. That doesn't matter as it still makes for a fun October time read. 

Compared to other Vader's Castle stories, this one isn't really that scary. Probably because this was a Free Comic Book Day offering. Mistress Lina and her droid Crater, who are the story's narrators, make a return appearance from the 2018 debut of Tales From Vader's Castle. As they explore Vader's home, Lina recalls an early adventure from Han and Chewbacca's early days involving a heist as a droid museum. 

This story sets up the framework for prospective fans to pick up the trade paperback which collected the first series. There was a Han Solo ghost story in the first anthology. I double-checked. This story is not a reprint of that issue as writer Cavan Scott managed to have both versions of Solo (the true and the reboot impostor) in the same story. There's no Harrison Ford in this book.

Featuring art by Derek Charm, this issue has a certain charm to it; even if it doesn't feature MY Han Solo. Loved the closing panel! And the back cover by Francesco Francavilla, featuring the imposing visage of Lord Vader overlooking his Mustafar is just breathtaking. Oh, how I would love to have a print of it to hang in my office!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Spongebob Freestyle Funnies Free Comic Book Day 2017

Being on COVID lock-down, I have been catching up on comics that I haven't had a chance to get to. I dug into my 2017 offerings from that year's Free Comic Book Day recently. (Yeah, I am that far behind!) I decided that I needed some laughs. So I choose a few funny books to read in the mean time.

In this Spongebob story, Mr. Krabs learns that the local comic book stores are giving away free comics. To the entrepreneur, that means a chance to make some money! But with most of the comic book stores already out of comics or closed, Mr. Krabs chances at striking it rich as a speculator are pretty much dashed.

But there's hope. One lone store is still open. But it's all the way over in a forbidden/foreboding area outside the city limits of Bikini Bottom! 

I'm not really a Spongebob person. My brother-in-law is. But that's fine. Other than not knowing who most of these characters are, I really got a laugh out of this book! 

The cover is a great tribute cover to the very first comic book ever published. Plus, the comics that Mr. Krabs and company come across are some great ocean themed parodies! Lots of fun!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Bongo Comics Free-For-All (FCBD 2017)

Being in lock-down, I've had a chance to go through my massive pile of stuff I need to catalog and file into my collection. That includes almost the entire offering of comics from 2017's Free Comic Book Day. 

One of the things I look forward to the most each FCBD is The Simpsons comic book. With Bongo Comics now defunct, we don't have new Simpsons stuff coming out. So this was a great little present to myself during a very stressful time. 

Once again we get a number of hilarious stories starring Bart, Lisa, Homer and the citizens of Springfield. And once again, the offerings are a thousand times more funnier that what FOX is putting on every Sunday at 8pm EST.

In the main story, Bart injures his back and must use a special backpack- one on wheels. It supposed to be the stuff of elementary school mockery. But of course, El Barto twists things to his advantage. 

Next up, Homer and Bart awake for a late night snack only to wind up facing a possible intruder. 

Lastly, Rod and Todd get separated from Flanders and go on an epic journey through the streets of the fair city. I don't know why, but those two namby-pambies always make me laugh and this was a great capper to another classic freebie from one of my favorite shuttered publishers.

Once again, the only thing Futurama is a back cover gag. I can't understand why Bongo never put stories on the Delivery Express crew in the FCBD books. You would think that they'd want to advertise them. Maybe we now know why Bongo went out of business.

Man, I miss these...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Fresh Off The Boat Presents: The Legion of Dope-Itude Featuring Lazy Boy #1

When you are in quarantine procedures, you find yourself finally with time to do those things you always wanted. Time to read a book. Or clean the house. Or finally cataloging those comic books. It was in that back log  that I came across a one-shot issue devoted to the critically acclaimed ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat.

Wait-a-minute..?! Fresh Off The Boat had a comic book?

Fresh Off The Boat Presents: The Legion of Dope-Itude Featuring Lazy Boy #1
Written by Gene Luen Yang
Art by Jorge Corona
Published by BOOM! Studios

Fresh Off The Boat ran on ABC for 5 years from 2015-2020. The show was based on Chef Eddie Huang's same-named memoir of growing up in 1990s Orlando as basically the only Asian family in the community. Newcomer Harrison Yang played the lead role of Eddie. The series also starred Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians), Randall Park (Ant-Man and the Wasp) as Eddie's parents. Shazam's Ian Chen and Forrest Wheeler (Mortal Kombat) played brother Evan and Emery.

Essentially, the sitcom was about race, culture and eventually Eddie's discovery of his love for food and cooking. So where does comic books fit in with Fresh Off The Boat?

In the May 2nd, 2017 episode titled 'Pie Vs. Cake' Eddie and Emory decide to create a comic book together in order to win a contest. However, the brothers have two completely different ideas for how the book should go. It results in the two going off on their own to make their comics and failing miserably. Eventually the bros hug it out and team-up to craft a super hero team based on their family.

Fresh Off The Boat aired on Friday nights. With 'Pie Vs Cake' debuting on the first Friday of the month, if a fan of comic books watched that episode when it aired new, that meant the next day, they'd be in for a treat. That's because that year, Eddie and Emory's comic book dreams became a reality for fans participating in Free Comic Book Day 2020.

The Legion of Dope-Itude Featuring Lazy Boy was a freebie tie-in to the series! How did I miss that? Looking back, I had to work that Saturday at the culinary school I used to teach at. So for FCBD 2017, I needed my wife to go to my LCS in my stead. And then 3 years passed before I opened the package of comics that my bride procured. Yeah, I got that far behind...

The sitcom aired it's series finale just this February; much to my dismay. Actress Constance Wu threw such a tantrum of after a fifth season was announced by ABC that it caused a lot of tension on set. Her venom at being tied down to another year of sitcom filming was so vicious producers and cast felt that it was time for the Huang family to bid farewell to fans. Thus, this forgotten comic book was a welcome social distancing treat for a fan of Fresh Off The Boat such as myself.

Written this 'Lost Episode' is Gene Luen Yang and he's more than qualified to pen this tale. Yang's American Born Chinese parallel's the Huang Family's journey of assimilation into the American Dream.  The cartoonist evokes the mannerisms and dialogue of the actors who play the characters perfectly.

The artwork  by Jorge Corona (Feathers) wasn't quite so perfect. Eddie and his parents were drawn pretty darn close to their live-action counterparts. Brother Emery sometimes looked like actor Forrest Wheeler. But little Evan's scenes looked nothing like Ian Chen.

Now that I think more about, Jorge Corona's work is very cartoony. It has a child-like element to it. Since this is supposed to look like the comic made by Eddie and Emory, I guess that explains some inconsistencies. If that's the case, then I retract my criticism by half.

Still, the combined efforts of Gene Luen Yang and Jorge Corona was a great substitute for the real thing! I'm not sure why BOOM! Studios never made this one-shot into a series. But it's not too late! With no new Fresh Off The Boat on television, why not bring back this creative duo to create more adventures of this Huang family? I'd be all into that! And I think fans of comics and the ground-breaking series would be too!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Tick, FCBD 2019

The free comic I look forward to every first Saturday in May. I am just in awe of The Tick. He's funny. He's odd. He's insane. 

An annual dose of The Tick, Arthur and their friends as well as legions of enemies is just what I need to stay sane in a crazy world. 

In this issue, The Tick meets his biggest fan. Eager to show Tick and Arthur is collections of everything Big and Blue, this collector invites the heroes to his house to try 'the world's greatest meatloaf." But Tick and his little buddy should be careful or they'll end up the latest addition to this super fan's cache of treasures.

Then we get a very unusual tale about Tick's time in Borneo. (When was Tick ever in Borneo??) Injured while battling some dinosaurs, our hero awakes with the ability to speak like a coyote as well as the coyote desire to leisure in trees. So, of course,The Tick becomes a member of Borneo's coyote population. 

Both stories were great laughs. It's the kind of oddity I yearn for. There's also a couple of shorts starring Tick and Artie (The insect world's version of our heroes) and a slew of cameos of fan favorites who have appeared over the years in the pages of The Tick.

This is the 10th anniversary issue and I have every issue but one. However, thanks to a 'letter from the editor' at the beginning, I have discovered that NEC Press skipped a Free Comic Book Day for some reason. So my hunt for the missing issue is over as I now know it never existed.

Tons of fun this issue is. I hope you didn't miss out. If not, check out your LCS. They might still have a copy or two on hand!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Die Kitty Die: I Love You To Death! (Free Comic Book Day 2018)

It finally happened. The creators of Kitty Ravencraft's comic book finally killed her off in order to cash in on the tremendous sales that those 'death of' issues rake in! But you can't keep a good character down for good as Kitty's ex Derek, The Warlock will fight heaven and hell to get his beloved back!

Featuring a couple of L'il Kitty adventures that flashback to when Derek and Kitty first met, this Free Comic Book Day release is the jumping point to the new Die Kitty Die mini 'Heaven and Hell'.

Die Kitty Die is yet another example of why I am such a fan of Dan Parent. He kills it every time in his classic Archie tales. Then when he comes over to Chapterhouse to do Die Kitty Die, he skewers the Archie books like nobody else can or should. I love how he parodies a fan favorite of mine, L'il Jinx, in this book! Now if only Parent would bring her back for an Archie special in the near future. 

Co-creator Fernando Ruiz works seamlessly with Dan Parent. I can't tell where Parent ends and Ruiz begins. Though I feel that Ruiz was entirely behind the artwork of the flashback pages and the Kitty splash page on pages 5-6. But still, it's pretty consistent to Dan Parent. 
(I really hope that's considered a compliment as that's what I am intending and probably failing at...)

I loved this FCBD freebie. I am anxious to find the 'Heaven and Hell' storyline either as back issues or in a trade paperback. Fans of Archie and comic book parody really should check this book out!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Bongo Comics Free-For-All! (Free Comics Book Day 2018)

The final Bongo Free Comic Book Day offering. Late last year, Bongo shut down it's presses and closed it's doors after nearly 20 years in existence. The loss of Bongo Comics was maybe not the biggest story in comicdom. But I sorely felt the loss as these Simpsons themed comics have been something that the TV show hasn't been in a very long time- funny!

While I got quite a few chuckles out of this issue, I was bit disappointed as the creativity normally found in these books had disappeared. In the first story, Lisa becomes the new sidekick to Krusty the Clown. But when a mishap with a microwave puts the comedian in the hospital, it's Lisa who becomes the star of the show. 

I'm not even going to question it. I know that Lisa taking over for Krusty was the plot of an episode. When it occurred, I'm not sure. But I am pretty sure it was sometime in the past 8 years. While Bongo does add a very slight twist to the plot, I felt cheated out of a completely all-new tale. At least the other two stories aren't rip-offs of previously aired episodes. I think.

The middle story has Bart bored out of his mind during Summer vacation. Milhouse is away at camp and Marge won't let Bart waste the day playing video games inside. In order to keep himself occupied, you know that mischief will abound wherever Bart goes!

This issue wraps up with Kang and Kodos going on a human hunt. Needing an earthling to probe and observe, they scrap the bottom of the Springfield barrel by kidnapping Cletus, the slack-jawed yokel! But don't feel bad for the hillbilly as your favorite tentacled aliens have finally meet their match!

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Even the first story wasn't terrible. It's just that every year I look forward to two comics every Free Comic Book Day: The Tick and this one. I felt that my annual loyalty was betrayed instead of rewarded with a story with a plot ripped from a fairly recent episode. Looking back at Bongo's liquidation, I'm wondering if the company had let go most of their staff at the time of this book's creation. Thus, ideas (and I'm sure morale) were at an all-time low.

Worth Consuming- but I'm not 100% happy about it!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Starburns Presents (Free Comic Book Day 2018)

If you were a fan of the NBC comedy Community, then you are familiar with the character of Star-burns. For those of you who have absolutely zero idea what I am talking about, Star-burns was a burnt-out stoner with sideburns shaved into the shape of stars. He wasn't very smart and often ran slightly illegal hustles on campus.

The character was played by Dino Stamatopoulos, who was also a producer and writer on the show. A good buddy of Community creator Dan Harmon, Stamatopoulos along with Patton Oswalt and Harmon sought to create a Kickstarter funded comic book publishing company called Starburns Industries. Well, I don't think things got off to such a great start as I cannot find anything in print by SBI other than this 2018 Free Comic Book Day release. 

Starburns Presents is an anthology made up of 5 different stories. Patton Oswalt pens a true life tale about his first encounter with the costumed performers on the streets of Hollywood. Penciled by Troy Nixey (Vinegar Teeth), it's the best story of the bunch. 

The David Clarke (Heroes R Us) story of Oddwell is supposed to be about a frog hero in a mythical land. But the story has zero frogs and dozens of houseflies.

Hellicious by Welcome to Paradise's Alan C. Medina is about a little blonde haired moppet who might be the devil incarnate- or maybe one of his kids. 

Dan Harmon's Gregory Graves was my least favorite entry. It did have a good cliffhanger ending. But for the most part, this story was very confusing. Plus, I don't think we'll ever get a conclusion to this adventure since it looks like SBI is defunct.

The last couple of pages are from Stamatopoulos himself. It's a blend of weird infomercials and parody ads like you would see in a comic book. It's got a funny charm. But there are a lot of inside jokes that if you aren't really hip on the Dan Harmon conglomerate, you will more than likely miss out on the punchline. 

If you do a search for SBI, you find a website that specializes in online animated shorts and humorous cassette tapes. (Who still listens to cassette tapes?!) But there's nothing to be found in the comic book or graphic novel department. Chalk this book up to one of the many big ideas that never was fully explored in comics... But from the reading of most of these stories, I can understand why!

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Star Wars Adventures (Free Comic Book Day 2018 Edition)

IDW Publishing made the smart but still  controversial decision to have the Alden Ehrenreich Han Solo be the focus of this year's FCBD offering. One thing that helps the transition go smoothly here is the inclusion of classic Star Wars bounty hunters Zuckuss and 4-LOM. At a trading post, Han finds himself without Chewie, who has decided to check out the local grub scene. It is here that Han finds himself the prisoner of bounty hunters. Without his right hand make, how will the Corellian rogue get himself out of this jam?

My favorite bounty hunter is Boba Fett. However, I am a big fan of Zuckuss and 4-LOM. In the anthology novel Star Wars: Tales of the Bounty Hunters, the story of how an assassin droid and a Gand findsman become partners was the best of the lot. It was also very cool to finally see the interior of their ship, The Mist Hunter. 

Cavan Scott and Derek Charm are the Chris Claremont and John Byrne of SWA. Great storytelling! Amazing artwork! A pure love for all aspects of the franchise! May the force be with them for a very long run!

I haven't been able to really stay up on Marvel's run of current Star Wars titles. There's just so many, so I must purchase when they go on steep discount. But IDW Publishing been doing a phenomenal (and affordable) job on the all-ages take on the Star Wars Universe. I'm still not sure why IDW is doing them instead of Marvel. But I'm not complaining!

Okay- one small complaint... This issue ends with a cliffhanger in which you have to read an issue or two from the regular Star Wars Adventures comic. I understand that you are trying to boost sales. If you are going to do that, do it for the teen and older books. It's just not fair to make the kids have to buy something else in order to complete the entire story. Keep in mind, some kids are receiving these books from charities and donors such as myself after FCBD. To have an incomplete story just seems like a slap in the face, especially when done in the name of benevolence! 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Tick 2018 Free Comic Book Day Edition

Another annual romp with The Tick and Arthur and friends. This edition focuses on some little known versions of Mighty Blue Justice.

Years ago in an unknown land, there's a King Tick whose life or death or whatever will result in the fall of his kingdom. Or maybe it will usher in a glorious new age. Apparently, this was some idea of Ben Edlund's that was hinted at during his initial run on The Tick but never came to pass until now.

Then we go back to land of Tick and Artie. This is an actual tick and an actual moth who are the heroes of the insect world. I own the Tick and Artie series, I just haven't gotten around to reading it yet. 

In between these alternate tales of The Tick, we've got a couple of regular universe stories. One involves Tick, a massive appetite for food AND justice and a hapless pizza guy. The other involves Tick being the best man at Rubber Duck's wedding to Bee. We get RD's origin story and some wedding rehearsal insanity. It is the classic type of Tick story I would expect from NEC.

AS I said, the wedding story was the best of all four. The first tale would have been better enjoyed if I understood the backstory a little more. The middle stories were okay. The pizza guy story had some funny moments but the art was amateurish for a NEC publication. The Tick and Artie story was amateurish but that's the point as the series is supposed to be thought up as a child would if they had to create adventures of a superhero dressed as a tick and a moth. Plus, it was a one-pager and not meant to be very thought provoking.

Based on the awesome cover, this issue was a little disappointing. Especially since this FCBD offering was supposed to build interest in the new Tick series that was debuting at about the same time as the annual comic lovers event. 

Yah- it's a free Tick comic book. Boo- it's not the best one ever offered by NEC. Not by far.

But as I feel about it like I feel with the band Queen, the worst song of theirs is better than no song at all. Just sub the word comic book in place of song.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Bob's Burgers 2018 FCBD Edition

Bob's Burgers is one of those shows where you'd think I'd be a huge fan of. it It's about the food industry. Each daily special is a pun. Plus it has Patton Oswalt!

But the artwork of the characters freak me out a little. I cannot tell if the way the characters are drawn is supposed to be funny or it's mocking toward people with Treacher Collins Syndrome. And that just really bugs me. 

But upon my most reason celebration of Free Comic Book Day 2018, I decided to give the comic book a try. In this issue, there's a parody of Where the Wild Things Are as well as the James Cameron epic, Titanic. Then Bob gets his hands on some magical pineapples and his shop has a tremendous day of sales. But what will happen when the eatery runs out of pineapple and the clientele is still hangry!?

All three stories, written by the artists and staff of the popular Fox animated series, was very good. Oddly enough, none of the artwork in this book looked at all like the characters do on the TV. I'm not sure why that is. Honestly, I preferred the way Bob and his family look in the comic book than on the show. But I doubt highly that the animators will ever change how the characters are drawn.

This 2018 Free Comic Book Day release was a fun read and I liked the artwork renderings better than the original. Will this make me an avid reader of Bob's Burgers? Probably not. But I liked what I read, and that's the important thing. Right?

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Nick The Sidekick (Family Comic Friday)

Welcome to another round of Family Comic Friday. We’re all about superheroes and sidekicks this week. First we’ll be reviewing Dave Whamond’s Nick the Sidekick. Then we finish out our preview of the 2018 Free Comic Book Day offerings. Our final title this year stars one of my all-time favorite character: The Tick!

So let’s get started first with a look at the week’s review title, Nick the Sidekick.


Nick the Sidekick
Written and Illustrated by Dave Whamond
Published by Kids Can Press

Young Nick has superpowers. He can hear extremely well. The youngster is super intelligent and his detective skills are second to none. Unfortunately, the superhero he’s been paired with has no idea about any of this.

Instead, Nick’s partner, Super Fantastic Guy thinks that his sidekick can fly and do it very fast! Plus, Super Fantastic Guy thinks his sidekick is named Rick. Oh, and Super Fantastic Guy always steals the spotlight from his sidekick, too. Did we mention Nick hates to be referred to as a sidekick?

That is all about to change when Nick stumbles upon a plot to rob the local bank. Now, it’s his time to shine and maybe the diminutive hero with get a chance embarrass his aloof partner in the process…

Dave Whamond’s story of an under-appreciated sidekick is one that I think Robin, Tonto and Arthur would all relate to and enjoy. The Oddrey creator takes the stereotype of the comic book sidekick and makes it funny and refreshingly new. I did think a little of the humor got awfully silly but for the recommended reading age of readers in grades 1-4, I guess it’s to be expected. However, the first 40 pages of the 48-page story wasn’t full of toilet humor, so it just seemed out of place for it to occur when it did.

The artwork was very good. I liked the sketch work for Nick and Super Fantastic Guy. Being an easy reader graphic novel however, the panels were huge. For an older reader of graphic novels, it’s a format that takes some getting used to. It’s extremely appropriate for the book and the age group it’s aimed at. It’s just odd at first, like when you wear a new prescription of eyeglasses for the first time.

I’m not sure if this is it for Nick the Sidekick or if this is set to become a new series from Dave Whamond. I would be okay either way as the ending of this story was a fulfilling one but I too would be interested to see more adventures starring Nick. If there’s more to come, I just would hope to see the storytelling be a little more balanced. If the adventures of Nick are supposed to be more serious, then I don’t want to see a large segment of really silly things happen to Super Fantastic Guy at the end of every story. I can maybe forgive it this one time. But, I would quickly lose interest if the ending to every Nick the Sidekick adventure was to go the way of Captain Underpants.

A good young reader graphic novel that is appealing to its core audience but is in need of little self control at the end.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

This review was concurrently published on Outrightgeekery.com.

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The Tick 2018 Free Comic Book Day Edition

Writer: Jeff McClelland
Artist: Ian Nichols
Published by New England Comics Press
Release Date: 5/5/2018
Rating: All Ages

Foretold by Ben Edlund himself, in the now-legendary 1980's Tick trading cards set, comes a tale you never expected to read! Wandering into an ancient village on a one-eyed horse, The Tick must make a stand against dark magic, enemy hordes, incredible beasts and the unknown itself! His reward: ACTION! (And also a mysterious jewel the size of a truck.) From a lost Ben Edlund plot comes a story of swords, sorcery, and... spoons?!

Lumberjanes #49 (Family Comic Friday)

Welcome to Family Comic Friday. This weekly column highlights comics and graphic novels that can be enjoyed by the whole family. It's my hope that the books featured not only opens the young readers in your life up to the world of comic books but the joy of reading as well.

This week is all about girl power as we’ll be reviewing the latest issue of Boom! Studios’ award winning series Lumberjanes! Then in our penultimate preview of the 2018 Free Comic Book Day releases, we check out the anthology one-shot Comic Friends Forever, featuring creators such as Hope Larson and Shannon Hale.

Let's get started with my review of …

Lumberjanes #49

Written by Shannon Waters, Kat Leyh

Art by Dozerdraws

Published by Boom! Studios

Lumberjanes is the title nobody thought would or could ever get made. The series was created by the team of Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Brooklyn A. Allen and Noelle Stevenson. These women comic creators saw a lack of material for girls aged 10-13 on the market- especially made by women.

Working with the publisher Boom!, this creative team was able to book an 8 issue miniseries and turn it into a global phenomenon that next month will celebrate it's historic 50th issue!

Lumberjanes follows a group of 5 campers who are spending their summer at Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady Types summer camp. Using their unique talents and endless spirit of adventure, the girls notice some strange things going on in the nearby woods. Weird stuff, like three-eyed foxes and an old woman who transforms into a bear.

Over the past 48 issues, the secret behind these supernatural occurrences has been building up to the 50th mega issue that promises to reveal something.

Now you might be asking why am I reviewing a book that promises to let several cats out of the bag in the very near future. Well, for one thing, this issue reads like a very good starting point. The entire camp is stuck inside the mess hall thanks to a monsoon outdoors. Having all of the main and supporting characters in one place offers new readers a chance to really explore the various personalities that occupy the camps.

A couple of the campers discover a hidden tunnel that runs under the camp. While yes it adds to the overall mysteries surrounding the camp itself, a new reader doesn’t have to have read the previous 48 issues of this series to understand just what is going on. Sure, it helps. But it’s not required.

I want to talk a minute about the artwork and that’s going to lead into a controversial aspect of the comic book. The book is illustrated by German artist Dozerdraws. The artist gives amazing life to each and every character in this book. But there was something about one of the Lumberjanes named Jo that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. So, I did a little research into the character.

Jo is a transgender girl. The child of a gay married couple, Jo a male transitioning to a girl. In no way am I condemning the character or the book. I think Lumberjanes is a good series for children, especially girls. But I add this information because not all parents and guardians may feel that the subject matter of sexuality and gender is inappropriate for their child.

One reason I started doing Family Comic Friday almost a decade ago is one day I was at a comic book store and a frustrated mom went up to the clerk. With a copy of Hellblazer in her hand, she asked if it was appropriate for her 8-year old son. The clerk responded with two thumbs up. ‘Hellz yeah!’, he crooned.

It was at this point I realized that some parents have no idea what comics are age appropriate for their kids, much less nieces, nephews and grandkids. So when I review a comic, I base my score on storytelling, art and editing- not content. But I do feel that I need to let all parties involved know of anything that might be considered controversial or even a little too grown up for the recommended age group. Ultimately, when it comes to letting a child read any book I review, it’s ultimately up to the parent or grown-up to decide. But perhaps, by my reviewing of this series, I might encourage some families to begin a more open dialogue on gender and sexuality.

In terms of my rating, I give Lumberjanes high marks. The storytelling was flawless, though I wish that some of the characters names were given earlier on. In terms of the artwork, it was really good. So good, that I thought one of the characters was really a boy and I was right! I give Dozerdraws high praise for not trying to make Jo look any different than they did. To do so would have hidden Jo’s true persona and I think that in a nutshell is what Lumberjanes is all about- being true to yourself!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Lumberjanes #49 was released in print and digital media on April 25, 2018.

Comic Friends Forever

Written and Illustrated by Hope Larson, Ben Hatke, Shannon Hale, LeUyen Pham

Cover by Vera Brosgol

Rated: All-Ages

Release Date: May 5, 2018

Comics friends forever! First Second presents an amazing Free Comic Book Day anthology that celebrates kids comics, girl power, and the amazing work of creators Vera Brosgol, Hope Larson, Charise Mericle Harper, Ben Hatke, and Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham. Don't miss out on this comic filled with the power of friendship that's great for every kid reader in your store.

This review was published concurrently on Outrightgeekery.com.

Scooby-Doo! Where Are You #92 (Family Comic Friday)

Welcome to another edition of Family Comic Friday. This week's edition is for those of you who love mystery mixed with a scare or two. First we look at DC's latest issue of Scooby-Doo! Where Are You? Then we'll continue our look at the 2018 Free Comic Book Day offerings with a preview of Howard Lovecraft: Big Book of Summer Fun, based on the trilogy of graphic novels from Arcana Studios.

So let's get started first with my review of 

Scooby-Doo! Where are You? #92
Writers: Ivan Cohen, Scott Peterson, Frank Strom
Artists: Tim Levins, Dan Davis, Scott Neely 
Cover by: Walter Carzon, Horacio Ottolini
Published by DC Comics

Not a hoax! Not a dream! Not an imaginary story!

When a collection of prized masks are stolen at a mystery lover's convention, the Mystery Inc. gang are on the hunt! But as themselves, the detectives are swamped by their fans. So, the team decides to pull a switcheroo and go cosplaying as each other!

Daphne goes as Velma! Shaggy wears the ascot as only Fred can! And Scooby goes as himself!

The cover along is what sold me on this issue. They say not to judge a book by it's cover. They- whom ever they are could not be any more wrong! Featuring a blast from the classic Scooby-Doo past, this was a fun story to start out the book.

The issue had 3 stories total. The middle tale was a play on Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven with Shaggy being terrorized by a mouthy bird! The beginning and ending narrator which was Shaggy as a cupid didn't make sense to me as there wasn't a love interest in this story. But the overall yarn was funny. The final story involves the gang vacationing on a tropical island that is haunted by the ghost of a tribal leader. It was another neat adventure that does a pretty decent job being fresh while classic at the same time.

Those of you who read my blog regularly know that I am a huge fan of the sister title Scooby-Doo Team-Up. I felt it was about time that I highlighted this comic from DC and like I mentioned earlier, the cover really helped me with my selection this week. 

I solved the mystery in both of the bookend stories. I like that DC frames the stories this way as to engage readers. The clues are there- you just have to look for them. The Raven parody didn't have a mystery to solve but it did give me some laughs. 

The team at DC does an excellent job with their all-ages books. Unfortunately, I don't think they get as much love as they deserve. Scoody-Doo! Where Are You? is a fun way to gets a few chills without being scared. Though some of the monsters represented in this series can be a little scary for those under the age of 6.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo! Where Are You? #92 debuted in stores and digital platforms on April 11, 2018 and is published monthly.

Howard Lovecraft Big Book of Summer Fun FCBD 2018 #1
Published by Arcana Studio
Date: May 5th, 2018
SRP: FREE
Rated: All Ages

Howard Lovecraft stars in an all-new adventure with the events leading up to the animated feature film Howard Lovecraft & The Kingdom of Madness starring Christopher Plummer, Mark Hamill, and Jeffrey Combs. The book also includes a new story from The Steam Engines of Oz that lead up to the events before the animated feature film starring Ron Perlman, William Shatner, and Juliane Hough! And, being a big book of summer fun, there's also games, puzzles, contests, augmented reality, and animation tips from the pros!