John Carpenter Presents Storm Kids: Stanley and the Haunted House (Family Comic Friday)

I finish out my all-ages reviews for Halloween 2023 today with this delightful funny animal tale from horror legend John Carpenter. (I've still got a couple of mature reads left to review.) Stanley and the Haunted House is the 3rd comic in the series. Back for another annual adventure, Stanley and his friends decide to spend the night in a creepy mansion in order to prove once and for all if ghosts exist. Bandit brought the flash lights. Baby Wolf has got the food. While Natasha has a camera to document the proof of spirits. 

I became aware of John Carpenter and wife Sandy King's all-ages imprint Storm Kids with last year's The Yard Gang Halloween Special. (I'm not really sure how I missed the first two Stanley books.) When I heard that this new one-shot was dropping, I was a little disappointed not having the pets from the Yard Gang. But the world of Stanley and Friends was a delightful introduction to a gaggle of characters that were a laugh riot. 

These guys have panache and great comedic timing. I would love to see Stanley and his furry pals starring in an animated series. Maybe an annual Halloween cartoon special! They've got the chops on par with the Looney Tunes and the cartoons of classic Mickey, Donald and Goofy when they go ghostbusting in 1937's 'Lonesome Ghosts.'

The story was written by Jeff Balke. I'm not familiar with him. But if you ever head to Jeff Balke Studios, you will feel like you're in the presence of a true devotee to those classic cartoon predecessors I mentioned in the last paragraph. On art and inks are Walter Carzon and Horacio Ottolini. Both of these talents I AM familiar with as they are DC Comics mainstays in relation to Hanna Barbera and Looney Tunes properties. Together, these three made a terrific trio with a story that was spooky, not scary, and very laugh-out loud hilarious.

The first two Stanley books are Stanley's Ghost and Stanley and the Forgotten Forest. Both of those issues along with Stanley and the Haunted House can be purchased online at the Storm Kids parent website stormkingcomics.com (Just a bit of warning though. This site also sells Storm Kings' more mature horror titles and some images on the website may be too terrifying for young readers.) If the 2021 and 2022 Halloween specials are anything like this year's release, the young readers in your life are in for a treat. And as this book isn't set during Halloween, it's a read the family can enjoy 365 days a year for a small scare read!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Boonana Tail Halloween Special #1

I don't know if it warrants disclosure as I don't make any money on this blog. But I have met Banana Tail creator Mark McKenna before at a couple of Cons. He was very warm and friendly with a passion for making family friendly comic books. It's also his way of continuing to honor his late father's legacy, as Mark created the character as a youth with his pop.

Banana Tail is a playful little monkey with a yellow tail, hence the name. He has a number of adventures with his friends Tic Tac, the plaid zebra and the pink rhinoceros Reena. There's also an elderly ostrich named Eggboo who gives sage advice to Banana Tail and his pals. Everyone lives in a jungle, which of course isn't known for being very safe. At times, Banana Tail and company must steer clear of Snare the snake and his alligator buddy, Snap.

There are several stories in this Halloween special. The first story has Banana Tail, Tic Tac and Reena getting lost in a creepy part of the Checkerboard Jungle. The trio get separated and wind up meeting another group of friends who also got lost in the dark woods. It's a delightful story about not making assumptions.

Other stories, which are considerably shorter involve Banana Tail trying very hard to scare his friends with his new ghost costume... and failing terribly. Then the mischievous monkey has a bad dream with a giant problem. Along with Tic Tac, Banana Tail dares a friend to spend 5 minutes in a dreaded area of the jungle and lastly the 3 friends use astronomy to find their way to Eggboo's Halloween party. 

I liked all of the back-up tales, though I didn't understand the punch line for the story about going to the Halloween party. There's also an adorable and informative one-pager about trick-or-treat safety that should be a required posting on comic book sites every October 29th-31st!

Charming all-ages fun. There's a couple other comics out there starring Banana Tail and friends, along with a coloring book. They can be purchased on the official website which has a lot of other fun things to read and do. This was great all-ages Halloween fun that was joyful and very heartwarming.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Lowriders to the Rescue (Family Comic Friday)

Lupe, Flapjack and Elirio, the Lowriders of outer space fame, return to earth in this 2022 graphic novel for young readers. When the automotive detailers of Los Angeles meet a young monarch butterfly named Sokar, they learn that her family is stranded in the wildfires of Northern California. But before going to rescue them, the Lowriders first help Flappy get some new glasses, assist a local shop in danger of going out of business, revitalize the run-down community center and solve the climate crisis! 

What really struck me was the artwork! Artist Raul the Third (such a cool name!) uses colored ink pens for the art. That cover of a flying car with flames shooting through the air was just amazing. I really thought that the art was pen but was thinking that it was just a computer program to make it look like it did. Yet at the end of the book writer Cathy Camper (10 Ways to Hear Snow) confirmed that it was the type of pens you might have used in high school that was the medium used here and I was in awe. Now I need to know how they were able to print the book without the inks fading... I must know these print secrets!

A large portion of this book is in different languages. Both Spanish and Arabic is used interchangeably by characters throughout the book. So, there's an educational aspect here. Thankfully, there are translations provided throughout the story. However, I thought on more than one occasion, an erroneous definition was thrown in that I couldn't match up with the dialogue. Maybe use footnotes to help the reader with this next time. 

This is the kind of children's graphic novel that Ron DeSantis would not be a fan of. It's got a lot of ideals and lessons that could be considered too liberal. Or just plain woke. I did think stylizing one of the antagonists to be like Donald Trump, all the way from the orange skin to blue suit with red tie was a bit too much. Not because of any sort of fan fare to the former POTUS. But because using Trump to be your villain just seemed to be a bit of a cop out and that the creators of this book just could have done better. And to make him the villain of a children's storybook just sends some sort of wrong message about our elected leaders, no matter how wrong they may be.

I thought a lot of the ideas that the Lowriders used to try to make not only their community but the world as a whole better were pretty clever. The use of the index to explain how similar ideas like a automobile tire made of food byproducts was really interesting. It helped to make many of the fantastic ideas thrown about in this book become more real. Though, I don't see a lot of younger readers engaging in that section of the book as the font is like at a 5 and there's no pictures. 

By the way, I'd love to see a soda container made out of an edible material as what Flappy comes up with. I just don't have a clue as to how you'd sell it without cross-contamination of such a thing.

I was rather thrown off by how much time transpires from when the Lowriders meet Sokar to when they actually go to save her family. It's not revealed until later in the book that the heroes' flying car can't operate in smoky conditions. But until that information came to light, I really felt like everyone had kinda put off the urgency to save the butterflies trapped in the wildfires upstate.

As for the wildfires themselves, that opening scene is jarring. There are animals on fire. A rather gruesome looking death, especially for a book recommended for readers aged 9-12. Sokar gets badly injured as well. The opener reminded me of the first 8 minutes of Saving Private Ryan; both of which made me kinda nauseous. I think parents are going to have to be ready to handle a lot of burning questions about the first act than anything else in this book.

Lowriders to the Rescue is multilingual, multicultural and with it's various different plots, multifaceted. The messages of unity, ecology and friendship are quite clear. But the pathways the writer used to get to the solutions felt a bit roadblocked.  This book probably will ruffle some feathers with those who feel that such difficult topics should be off limits to younger readers. That wasn't why I rate this book the way I did. I thought the opener was too raw for sensitive readers- to the point of inducing nightmares or possible panic attacks. In regards to that opener, some things that I felt were urgent were left on the back burner. This is the 4th book in the Lowriders in Space series. Perhaps if I had started with book 1, I might have felt differently. Or are those books just as in-your-face as well?

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Sham Comics #3

Years ago, I remember a 30 minute program where HBO or some other premium movie channel would regularly show an abridged version of Night of the Living Dead. Only the voices of the actors were replaced and a humorously dubbed version was overlapped in its place. Source Point Press' Sham Comics is a lot like that comedy special, only in comic book form!

Sham Comics selects a monthly theme. In the case of this issue, it's funny animals. Then Sham takes comic book stories in the public domain, replaces the dialogue, including the captions, and crafts a parody of the original tale. There are even vintage comic book ads that are given a comedic retool. In 2007, BOOM! Studios issued a trio of similar comics. The only difference is that this 2022 comic book uses quite a bit of four letter words, including the big bad one. There's numerous sexual references that would make a priest sweat. And potty humor. Okay. I take that last one back. I think the BOOM! books had those kinds of jokes as well.

Even though the material got rather blue and the language was R-rated, I really enjoyed this comic. It made me laugh; which was needed during a very dark time in my life. I liked Sham Comics so much, I very much would like to read some of the other books in this 6-issue series and the first volume produced in 2019. 

Horror. Sci-fi. Crime. Romance. These are all themes that are skewered by Sham Comics and the team at Source Point Press. Kudos to the editors for having the insight to given credit to the original source materials from the late 40s and early 50s!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars. 

Walt Disney's Donald Duck "A Christmas for Shacktown": The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library Vol. 112023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Despite this book's title, this is not strictly a holiday collection. 'A Christmas For Shacktown' is the 11th volume in Fantagraphics' extensive collection of works by Carl Barks. 

Carl Barks started his career with Disney as part of the animation department. Working as an 'in-betweener', Barks was involved in several early Donald Duck shorts including Donald's Nephews which saw the debut of Huey, Dewey & Louie in 1938.

Unhappy with the way animated films were made 'by committee' and deteriorated war-time work conditions, Barks quit working at Disney Studios in 1942. He then tried his hand at chicken farming. During this time, Barks' supplemented his agricultural income by taking on freelance assignments with Western Publishing. 1943's The Victory Garden would be the first of over 500 works during this period of his life that Barks would create for Western; which Fantagraphics is working to release a 30 plus volume library of. 

Along with A Christmas For Shacktown in which the citizens of Duckburg rally to make it a Merry Christmas for the residents of that city's slums, volume 11 includes several other classics. The Guilded Man sees Donald and his nephews heading to South America, seeking a rare stamp. The Bin on Killmotor Hill introduces readers to the security measures of Uncle Scrooge's fortress-like money bin. But perhaps the most well known story in this collection is 1952's The Golden Helmet which sees the fate of North America in the hands of Donald as he races for a Viking artifact hidden in the Arctic Circle!

As of now, 27 volumes of the Carl Barks Library have been released. While many fans are eagerly awaiting the final 4 volumes of the proposed 30 volume set, readers such as myself, are wondering what happened to volumes 1-4. According to the insert that lists the other books in the series, the Carl Barks Library began at Volume 5. A search of Fantagraphics' website unfortunately yields no answer to this mystery.

With an average cover price of $35, one hoping to collect the entire Carl Barks Library will shell out over $1000 when the entire set is released. Just because these books star funny animals, there's a level of sophistication to them. That's because Carl Barks treated his characters as human beings and on more than one occasion, the characters inside refer to themselves as humans: dogs and ducks alike! While child readers love the wacky characters and mix of zany and swashbuckling adventures, to adult readers, these stories come alive with inside jokes, clever puns and social themes such as the nuclear arms race and capitalism. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #7 (Main Character is an Animal) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Giggle Comics #49

This was a fun and exciting look at Americana, 1947. With a total of 5 stories in this issue, 2 were set at Christmas. I'm not complaining about this one because I truly thought I'd be lucky if only 1 story was holiday themed. Heck, I was afraid that this was gonna be a Scrooge issue with only a seasonally themed cover. I consider myself quite lucky with what I got!

The cover story starring the baby dressed SuperKatt was perhaps the most outdated story of the entire lot. One of the main characters is named Petunia. She's the black maid to Superkatt's owner, Junior. With stereotyped large red lips and very poor English, I'm imagining any sort of mass produced reprint of the Superkatt stories by Hanna-Barbera studios' Dan Gordon under the pen name of Dang, just wouldn't happen today due to outcry and fervor. 

This is the first time I encountered the character of Superkatt. Thus I didn't know of the racist portrayal of African Americans in this comic. And no- this isn't why I thought this issue was fun and exciting. The exciting part was seeing all the old ads like that of a candy making set bearing the name and likeness of child actress Margaret O'Brien (Meet Me In St. Louis) and a back page ad for a Slinky knock-off called Mr. Walker. The second Christmas themed story was responsible in large part for the fun.

Christmas Story #2 starred a character called Spencer Spook. He's lighthearted just as Casper is and he doesn't want to scare anybody. But instead of a child, Spencer is the ghost of Jimmy Durante or someone similar. In this hilarious take on Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Spencer is obligated to haunt the people of the house in which he dwells. There's just nothing in the rule book that says Spencer has to scare those folks. So Spencer decides to take the family of livings on a tour of Christmases past, present and future- with disastrous effect! 

I actually have the holiday issue from the short-lived Ace Comics revival of the character titled The Adventures of Spencer Spook. I thought that Spencer was just a lesser known indy comic character that was mostly forgotten. I did not know that the character was from the 1940s. I'm guessing my issue from 1987 came about from the character probably entering the public domain or something to that effect. Or it might have been a reprint only title. But it was really neat to read a book that was new to me and yet has a character in which I am previously familiar. 

The 3 non-seasonal stories are funny animal stories of characters that again, I am not familiar with at all. There was a Pogo-type story set in a swamp where a singing frog is driving all the other characters crazy. That one sorta reminded me of Michigan J. Frog a little bit. Another story had a character getting all the good luck he could ever ask for while his pal just seems to have a black cloud over his head throughout the whole story. Then, there's a pair of animal hobos (a wolf and a hare) that take a nice blue coat from a scarecrow only to have the character come to life and chase them all over the nearby farm for the stolen garment.

I think that last story might have been the best. There was a distinct quality to the book. It felt like something I could see Carl Barks coming up with. And I will laugh my freakin' head off if it turns out he did. Great twist to the story and definitely something I would want to read again. 

Unfortunately, this 70 year plus old comic is too fragile for me to read again. The cover was barely staying on and I had a devil of a time trying to get it back into the protective sleeve without damaging it again. However, if the money was right, I might find myself willing to buy another Christmas or other holiday themed issue of Giggle Comics. Sure, Superkatt was terribly offensive in its portrayal of minorities. Sadly, that was the nature of the industry back then. But there were some other good stories, awesome ads, and the trio of prose stories required for this publication to meet first class mail shipping standards were pretty decent as well.

Definitely a time capsule of the time period of the good, the bad and the ugly. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Little Tails: On Halloween (Family Comics Friday)

October 26th marks for many of our local comics shops the first Halloween ComicFest since 2019! A smattering of shops had an event last year. However, with COVID restrictions, everything was scaled way down; even the freebies.

In heavy anticipation of the 2023 official return, the organizers behind HCF are releasing some of it's most popular Halloween comics! Every Monday until Halloween, digital versions of some classic all-ages stuff are going to be released for all. This first week of offerings included The Adventures of Cthulhu Jr. and Dastardly Dirk, Eric Powell's Spook House, Ghost Friends Forever, Wrapped Up and today's review Little Tails: On Halloween.

Little Tails stars Chipper the puppy and his squirrel pal, Squizzo. In their regular adventures, written and illustrated by the team of Fredric Brremaud (Cats!) and Frederico Bertolucci (DinoDino's Dinosaur Adventures), the tiny duo explore incredible habitats and their animal residents from around the world. The African Savannah and a trek back to the time of dinosaurs were just two of the destinations Chipper and Squizzo have visited. This time around, the two don't wander off any further than their own backyard. But that doesn't keep them from meeting a score of creatures that go bump in the night. 

In this Halloween short, Squizzo introduces Chipper to the holiday. While teaching Chipper about costumes and trick-or-treating, the tiny friends run across spiders, snakes, and a surprise or two!

I loved this 14-pager. The pair of Chipper and Squizzo are very funny. And I like how the cartoon renderings pair with museum quality illustrations of the wildlife the main characters encounter. The mix of fun and learning was perfectly balanced and I wouldn't mind checking out further adventures of Little Tails if I ever come across them. I might even make these gifts for the trio of tykes that are on our holiday shopping lists. 

Amazon recommends the Little Tails books for readers in grades 1st and 2nd. But the whole family is going to get a kick out of Squizzo and Chipper! Guaranteed!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

To access the complete line-up of digital Halloween ComicFest classics, click here!

Super Duck #1

Golden Age superhero turned comedic foil Super Duck returns to print in an all-new miniseries from Archie Comics. While this premise might seem great for the kiddies, this is one for the grown-ups!

Super Duck #1
Written by Frank Tieri and Ian Flynn
Art by Ryan Jampole
Covers by Ryan Jampole, Derek Charm, Andy Fish, Eric Gorham and Erica Henderson
}Published by Archie Comics
Retail: $3.99

Super Duck made his very first comic appearance way back in 1943. Appearing in the pages of Jolly Jangles #10, Super Duck was yet another attempt by a publisher to chase in on the ultra popularity of Superman. Some may call Super Duck a parody. Others might call him a waterfowl carbon copy as Super Duck’s original costume even had a diamond emblem very much like one of the chest of the Man of Steel.

Just a year later, in 1944, Super Duck would undergo some massive changes. Thanks to a threat of litigation from DC Comics, the suit and cape were gone. Now Super Duck wore a black shirt with red lederhosen and an alpine hat. The heroics were replaced with Donald Duck-like slapstick. Until 1960, the only thing super about this character was his name.

The character of Super Duck was gone. But the Cock-eyed Wonder was never really forgotten. Reprints of his Disney-type yarns would be reprinted up into the early 1980s in digests such as Laugh and Jughead. In the past few years of the revitalization of Archie Comics, there’s been sightings of Super Duck advertised in the background of various comics and even a character of two of the CW series, Riverdale has been reading some back issues (or so I’ve been told). It seems that you just can’t let a good duck die…

In this new series, Super Duck’s time of being just another funny animal appears to have never occurred. The greatest hero of Ducktropolis (now called New Duck City) is still wearing the tights and cape, fighting an assortment of evil scientists and giant robots.Things have changed in that Super Duck’s latest battle nearly kills him and they should not be so as the pills the hero takes are supposed to make him invulnerable!

With his popularity dwindling and his powers fading, what is an aging mallard to do in a world that is quickly becoming not his own?

There’s a definite Howard the Duck vibe going on here. First of all in the irreverence and satire. Ravencroft’s Frank Tieri has been known to give his stories a dash of grim yet tongue-in-cheek humor. But I think the real reason I feel like this book should be running for President is due to the scene in which there's this dominatrix hen with gigantic - er, let’s call them assets, shall we? I’m starting to wonder if this heroic drake reads Playduck?

That’s not to say that I didn’t like this book. It was very funny. The back-up feature set in Super Duck’s glory days was a brilliant parody of super heroes. Plus, I thought that the artwork by Dexter’s Laboratory's Ryan Jampole was awesome. It’s deceptive though!

With a wholesome history and even more chaste looking main character, it would be easy to assume that Super Duck is an all-ages property. But there’s plenty of mild swears, deranged violence and over-sexuallized birds in this book to be rated PG-13 at least! So parents, if you find this title misshelved in the kiddies section of your favorite LCS, don’t pick this up for your little one! Make this version of Super Duck a new addition to your personal grown-up collection!

Super Duck #1 debuts in print and digital formats on Wednesday, March 25, 2020.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Har-Har Comics #1

Prior to reading this book. I knew nothing about Har-Har Comics. Nothing! I did not even know that such a book existed. But I found it at a used book store for 20 cents plus the protective bag! So this unknown comic was a low-risk purchase for me. 

I'm happy to say that it was worth every cent I paid!

Har-Har Comics debuted in 1990. Published by Fantagraphics, this comic is all about funny animals. That was Fantagraphics' bread-and-butter. The company that brought you Critters and Usagi Yojimbo, as well as human based titles such as Love and Rockets, Fantagraphics has survived unto this day. In an era where Indy publishers are a dime a dozen and unlikely to survive until their 5th birthday, for Fantagraphics to have existed since 1976 is an impressive feat.

This comic book is all about the laughs. The main character is known as Hyper Al. He's a dog or wolf that gets into some odd situations including getting abducted by aliens and tested to become a knight in King Arthur's Court. I laughed several times at his tales. he's drawn more like you'd expect an old 1940s cartoon villain would look. yet, Hyper Al is all sweet and innocent.

The other main feature of this issue is a story that ponders the question 'What if regular pets were "anthropomorphic?' It follows a giant dog name Huck and his hapless owner as they go for a walk through town. When Huck gets loose from his lease and meets the new female in the neighborhood..., well, let's just say that love is in the air. 

I would love to find myself another issue. I'm actually in luck. Fantagraphics' did give this series by Captain Jack's Mike Kazaleh a second issue. But that was it. Considering that the 90s was known for it's gritty comics, a cute book like this getting a second try is an impressive feat in it's own.

I guess the big question is now- will I ever find Har-Har Comics #2? Tune in regularly to my blog and see...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars,

Yets! #3

With the completion of the book, my enjoyment of Mike Bocianowski's Yets! unfortunately comes to an end. This 2004 book from Airwave Comics appears to be the last work of the Yets and their animal friends Sir Perry, the Guinea Pig and Spec the puppy!

In this issue, Sir Perry is about to take his new flyer out on an expedition to help the Yets find more of their kind. But first, the crew must venture down to the realm of men for an urgent mission!

I really love this series. I'm quite disappointed that I can't find any further adventures with the Yets! It's such a beautifully written and illustrated series with heart and humor. 

I don't really do this, but I think I am going to see if I can find Mr. Bocianowski online and ask him if there are further comics or even a graphic novel that I just can't locate anywhere- even on Amazon!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Bunny Vs. Monkey (Family Comic Friday)

When a test monkey and his rocket ship crash lands in the woods, he mistakenly believes that he has landed on alien soil. In order to fulfill the mission he was trained for, Monkey sets about to conquer his woodland neighbors. However, Bunny and his band of misfit animal pals aren't about to be domesticated so easily. Luckily for Bunny, most of Monkey's inventions used for local domination have some serious design flaws.

Boys and girls, I present you with today's Family Comic Friday selection: Bunny Vs. Monkey: Book Three.

Don't worry, just because I started on book three that does not you didn't miss anything. Bunny Vs. Monkey is a two-page comic that runs in The Phoenix, a weekly comic publication in the UK. A weekly feature, Bunny Vs. Monkey has run nearly continuously since 2012.

The stories in Bunny Vs. Monkey are self-contained and readers do not need to start from story #1 to be caught up in the action. Each two-pager is like a Coyote and Roadrunner cartoon in that each tale pretty much has Monkey trying to conquer his forest adversaries and failing miserably. A couple of adventures do mention previous capers but that's more for comic relief that the establishment of continuity. 

British cartoonist Jamie Smart is just like his name. His creation of a power hungry monkey versus a well, hungry rabbit is very clever. And funny! I laughed quite a bit. Imagine if the creator of Calvin and Hobbes crafted the adventures of Winnie the Pooh in the Hundred Aches Woods. That's the genius of Bunny Vs. Monkey.

Why did I choose to start at volume three?

Good question. I choose book three because of it's recent publication day. This collection of comics debuted in stores just last month. So if Family Comic Friday readers are interested in finding this book, they've got a much better chance at finding book three because of how new it is. 

I found the copy I read at my local library. It was on the new shelf in the children's section so if you are looking for it on loan, start there.

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny, smart and it felt edgy without being to adult or too serious. It was flawless fun and I am looking forward to reading the first two volumes of this series very soon.

Recommended for readers 6-12 years of age. But really readers of any age will enjoy this series!

Bunny Vs. Monkey: Book Three was published on February 27, 2018.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Critters #11

  
   Really, I choose this issue because of it's cover. I know you're not supposed to do that but I couldn't pass up the image of a smiling feline dressed as Santa, riding atop a flying snow mobile with gifts and a moose in tow! It's a bitching holiday scene.
   The comic itself wasn't terrible. Especially for a 1986 indy comic. It's filled with talent like a Usagi Yojimbo adventure by Stan Sakai, a yarn by Ty Templeton, and many others. 
    Only 2 or 3 of the stories in this book are Christmas themed but I can excuse this as a couple of the tales, like the Yojimbo one, were parts of a multi-issue story arc. Not a bad funny animal offering from Fantagraphic Books.
     But if the stories aren't funny, is it still a funny animal comic? Most of these adventures are dramatic. A couple episodes are sexually charged, and one is bloody- very bloody. These animals might look cute and cuddly, but it's not a comic for kids!

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Secret Life of Pets

Have you ever wondered what your pets do when you are away from home? I think my cats invite the neighborhood squirrels over and binge watch Court TV. Plus it explains why I always lose my favorite book or shoes or the remote. So really, what are my cats doing when my wife and I are at work?

  Well, The Secret Life of Pets seeks to answer that age old question and I think that the minds behind the film did a pretty good job tackling it.

  In the city that never sleeps, when their owners are away, the family pet will play. But in the case of Max, a lovable short hair puppy voiced by Louis CK, he sits in front of his apartment door waiting for his owner Katie to return. But his blissful paradise is turned upside down when Katie returns home one day from the pound with a giant brown shaggy dog named Duke (Modern Family's Eric Stonestreet). It's not a smooth transition for the two and one day at the dog park, the two canines get into a massive fight and wind up lost in the Big Apple. Managing to lose their collars and being snatched up by animal control, the two rivals must work together if they have any hope of getting back home to their master Katie.

   Pets was a very cute film that had quite a few laughs. I could've done without the potty humor, which was surprisingly graphic. In the past, movies like this (involving lost pets) get really sappy and sad. The Secret Life of Pets thankfully isn't a tearjerker. It also was pretty unique and I didn't feel like I had seen it before. However, the main story of Max and Duke wasn't the most interesting part of the movie- it's all of the supporting players that made this film worth watching.

The laughs come primarily from Kevin Hart who voices a psychotic bunny who wants to see the overthrow of the human race and his gang of 'flushed’ pets. The pets from Max's apartment who conduct a rescue mission also garnered a lot of laughs, especially the very plump feline Chloe, portrayed by Man Up's Lake Bell.

   The Secret Life Of Pets was produced by Illumination Entertainment, the company behind the Despicable Me franchise. Be sure to get to the cinemas a little early as a short featuring those pesky yellow minions proceeds the feature. Mower Minions has the tiny helpers trying to raise money for a new blender by providing yard work for their neighbors. It was very silly but enjoyable none the less.

  Overall, I had a fun time at the movies today. The film's been out for 2 weeks already and the 2 pm showing I went to was almost sold out! Very impressive. I've been to blockbuster superhero movies on opening day and the theatre wasn't even full of enough patrons to man a baseball team. So give it a view and find out just what does happen in the secret lives of man's best friends.

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

Maddy Kettle: The Adventures of the Thimblewitch (Family Comics Friday, 2015 Halloween Edition)

My first selected reading for Halloween, 2015 is Maddy Kettle: The Adventure of the Thimblewitch. This book from 2014 is the first work by up-and-comer Eric Orchard. His prose is whimsical and his art style is very quirky. There's also a slightly eerie tone and a light sweet air to this book, which is set up as the first in a series. However, it's been over a year since the first book was released and Amazon does not have a listing for a book two set to be released anytime soon.

   Orchard's artwork is reminiscent of the films 'James and the Giant Peach' and 'Coraline' with its steampunk stylings. The Thimblewitch's army of Scarecrows and Maddy's animal friends are crafted in such a way that I'm positive that the artwork from Baum's OZ books were a direct influence as well. I just wish that Orchard had continued to use some of those characters a little more extensively, like the very funny snake Maddy meets at the beginning of her quest.

    So, I've covered the tone and artwork, but what is the book about?

  

  Maddy Kettle is a young girl who used to work in her parent's bookstore until the faithful day when the supposedly nice Thimblewitch turns Mr. & Mrs. Kettle into mice. The family end up on the run from the creepy spider-goblins who eventually kidnap Maddy's parents and her pet flying moon-toad, Ralph. Determined to get her family back, Maddy enlists the help of the cloud cartographers Harry and Silvo, a bear and raccoon who just happen to have a wonderful balloon ship that can take Maddy to Thimble Rock, the home of the now rotten Thimblewitch.

      There are some spooky moments in this book, especially involving the Spider-Goblins. But this is the type of book that while a little scary at first, ends on a pleasant note. It's also the type of book that if your child asked you to read it again, when you acted like the scary parts were frightening again, they'll just explain why it's not a scary book anymore. Plus, the Thimblewitch is more like those in Wizard of Oz and less like the one's in Harry Potter, so parents, you should have to worry about this book being a tool of 'occultism.' (Personally, I don't think Harry Potter is an instrument of Satan, but there are those parents who will not allow their children to read anything heavier than the Wicked Witch of the West, thus my previous analogy.)

     Maddy Kettle is a great graphic novel that on paper should be an instant classic. But for some reason, maybe it's lack of word-of-mouth or poor distribution, it just hasn't caught on like a Captain Underpants or a Geronimo Stilton. I found this book in the new section of the all-ages graphic novel section (though it is over 1-year old.) Available on Amazon and eBay, this is a great seasonal read that will delight readers aged 7-11 during the build-up to Halloween.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Howard B. Wigglebottom Listens to a Friend: a Fable About Loss and Healing (A Family Comic Friday Extra)

 You're probably asking 'Hey Madman, this isn't a comic book- so why are you reviewing it?' Well, I recently won this book as a giveaway on goodreads.com. Goodreads is a website for bibliophiles to be able to track and record their reading journals and book collections. Plus, there are tons of contests to win free books- including graphic novels and comic books; which is how I got attracted to the site.

   Howard B. Wigglebottom is a kind-hearted rabbit whose friend Kiki is acting very weird. She's pushing people, yelling at them, and crying. When Howard finds out that a very special friend of her's passed away, he very much wants to make her happy again. So how can Howard and friends help Kiki without making things worse?

   This is the latest volume in the Howard B. Wigglebottom series. The books are written by Howard Binkow and Reverend Ana of the We Do Listen Foundation. The organization is comprised of educators, artists, and licensed therapists in hopes of making serious issues relatable for children. This book tackles the extremely tricky subject of death and it does a very good job of making it understandable. Even better, they work to make the subject no longer frightening and not to be treated as taboo. The back of the book even includes a study guide for parents and educators to better broach the subject with children.

    The 15 books in the Wigglebottom series can be purchased on Amazon. But to garner the full effect, I recommend you check out We Do Listen's website.There you can check out free animated versions of select titles, songs, activities, and much more. You can even buy copies of all of the books for only $6 apiece or you can get all 15 volumes for only $75!

   A great teaching guide and storybook for children under the age of 10.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
 

Stinky Cecil in Operation Pond Rescue (Family Comic Friday)

Stinky Cecil the Toad and his friends from the swamp go on an epic quest to save their beloved marshlands from becoming a highway.

  If the plot sounds like something you might have seen before- you have. Borrowing heavily from animated films like 'Over the Hedge' and 'Ferngully' with a plot twist straight from a Simpsons episode, Stinky Cecil was still quite original. Written by longtime Peanuts writer, Paige Braddock, this 2015 graphic novel contains characters that were funny, witty, and they had some great one-liners to boot. Their tiny attack on the giant bulldozers were so comical and creative as well.

   Stinky Cecil, while very light reading and aimed at kids in grades 1-5, tackles some heavy subjects. The main subject is environmentalism. It's not preachy but having a group of swamp creatures fight for the protection of their wetlands is the human equivalent of chaining oneself to a giant oak.

   Another subject that this book tackles is death. From just about the first page, the circle of life is hit head on when Reggie the house fly dies after his 5-day lifespan is up. Reincarnation is also addressed here as the gang all expect the beloved bug to regenerate at any moment. It also might be a little harsh watching a ferocious hawk try to make frog legs out of poor Cecil.

     Stinky Cecil was a funny read and though not too original in terms of plotting, the humorous dialogue was quite refreshing. Filled with silly sight gags, corny puns, and some toilet humor (this is a book about a stinky toad) it will appeal to most young readers. But, if you feel that death is a touchy subject or you have qualms about reincarnation- this book may be a bit too old for your child.

   While environmentalism can boil over into some heated debates, the message of being a good steward of our planet by taking steps to recycle and to not haphazardly rape and pillage nature for no reason other than progress for progress sake are lessons that can be applied early in life without being too liberal or conservative.

    Like the coke can you recycled last week, I have a feeling you'll be seeing Stinky Cecil and his wild friends again someday soon.

   Worth Consuming

  Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Benjamin Bear in Brain Storms! (Family Comic Friday)

  

The French are known for many things: fine wine, exquisite cuisine, the impressionists, free jazz, their oft occurrence of surrendering... But one thing the French don't get enough kudos is for their comic strips and graphic novels. That's one reason I choose this book as my selection for this week's Family Comic Friday. 

   'Benjamin Bear' was created by Eisner Award nominee Philippe Coudray and is the star of a series of books that collect one-page strips based on a particular subject. The title for this volume is Brain Storms and each cartoon features the brown bear and his forest friends solving tricky riddles (such as the brilliant method of proving that 4+4 can =9) and other problems such as how two people in separate cars can cross a river using only 5 stepping stones and still be able to drive on the other side.

  Published by Toon Books, this volume is considered a 'level two' comic in that it's easy to read and is recommended for readers in grades 1 and 2. But I don't see older readers not delighting in this series as well. This book does have some punchlines and words that might be a little too difficult for younger readers to understand, so a parent, older sibling, or other guardian might need to help explain those. 

   The art is quite simple in that old-school Parisian style. One thing I must say about French cartoonists- they are simplistic to the Nth degree, yet they're every bit as imaginative and stunning as a Jack Kirby or Neal Adams. Oh- and though this is a French cartoon, it's published in English! So you can put away your handy dandy French-to-English dictionaries.

    I found this 2015 book on the new arrivals shelf in children's section at my local library. There are two other volumes in the series thus far. I highly recommend this book and if the rest of this series is as good as this one- I tout them too! The Benjamin Bear books can be found new and used on Amazon. Prices vary but this volume starts at about $7 plus any shipping or tax costs.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Unfunnies: First Follies

Alligator abortions. Penguin prostitution. A foul-mouthed baby chick with a high-scoped rifle aimed at his head. A pedophile who’s been raised from the darkest pits of hades. When Mark Millar titled this series “The Unfunnies,” he wasn’t joking.

This is perhaps the most profane, vile, disgusting comic book I’ve ever had the displeasure to read. Perhaps what makes this book so shocking is that the characters are drawn in the style of some of your favorite childhood cartoons and when they commit these wanton acts, it’s pretty brutal.

Which is more shocking to see? Robert DeNiro shooting somebody in cold blood or Mr. Rogers? When innocence is lost, it’s very violating and that’s how this book made me feel. I definitely will be dropping this title from my collection and I will NOT be seeking out further books under this title.

(This book reprints Unfunnies #1 and 2.)

  Not Worth Consuming

Rating: 0 out of 10 stars.

Christmas With Superswine #1

We all remember Superswine, right? The beer-swilling, cigar-chomping, ethically challenged porcine member of the Superman Family. You don't? Me neither. From what I can tell Superswine was a parody of all the super pets in the pages of Superman comics in the fifties and sixties. From Krypto the Super Dog to Supergirl's cat Streaky and flying horse Comet. Plus, if not mistaken there was a giraffe, two otters, and a talking parakeet.

  Anyway, back to Superswine, the character was published by Fantagraphic and from what I gathered reading this special, he appeared in the funny animals anthology 'Critters.' The series featured some of the biggest names in the industry during the 80s including Alan Moore, Stan Sakai, and Cerebus the Aardvark's Dave Sim, who also created, wrote and drew Superswine and this Christmas issue.

  Christmas with Superswine isn't for kids. The book starts off friendly enough with a parody of ' The Night Before Christmas." But referencing Santa as a drunkard, dope fiend, and slob, plus numerous swears in the back-up features clearly moves this book from all ages to teen plus (generally ages older than 12.) The short stories in the back were all Christmas themed and they had some laughs and very good art. It was just a little too edgy and controversial for my tastes. If Archie Bunker was ever turned into an animated superhero pig, this would be what I'd envision his Christmases to be like.

  One this book did have going for it was the ads promoting the sister comic 'Critters.' I'm very interested in getting my hands on it as it has some early Yosagi Yojimbo tales, as well as an arch-type character based on the intergalactic rabbit Bucky O'Hare in them. Also, there was an advertisement for a Comic Book Legal Defense Fund comic called 'True North' that I am interested in getting my hands on. I'm a huge supporter of the CBLDF and while I know that my purchasing of a back issue of it wouldn't benefit the cause right now, I think it would be an interesting time capsule into the censorship issues of comics in the late 1980s.

  Worth Consuming

   Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Space Ark #1

 I’m not even sure where I got this issue from. It’s not really something up my alley. It’s a insipid funny animal’s book that parodies everything from Star Trek to Gilligan’s Island. The jokes are so old, they’ve got dust on them and I could literally hear groans when I read them. Yes, I am sure, they’re went mine!

About the only thing going for it is the art. It’s very clean and expressive. The creators of this series Ken Mitchroney and Mark Cantrell cite Bob Clampett of Beanie and Cecil fame as their inspiration but there is quite a bit of Don Bluth (All Dogs Go to Heaven and An American Tail) in this as well. That’s also the only reason I’m going to keep this.

The art would lead you to believe that this is an all-ages book. However, there is quite a bit of sexual innuendo, especially regarding the Space Ark’s sole female crewmember. Plus with references to gambling, smoking, drinking, and wild partying, I’m going to say this is for ages 12 and older. There isn’t any swears or graphic sex (and yes funny animal comics do have sex in them sometimes See: Fritz the Cat) so it’s not like it a youngster does read this that they’re going to turn into raving lunatics.

Besides, this is an Indy comic from 1985 and as far as I know, this is the only such issue I’ve ever come across.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.