Matzah Man to the Rescue! (Family Comic Friday)

Note: Due to a death in my family, I got behind on things. This review was meant for last week's Family Comic Friday. However, life and emotions got in the way. Please enjoy this better late than never review!

The house cat stole your shank bone? Run out of unleavened bread for the Seder? Grandma didn't make the charoset because she thought Grandpa was doing it? If you answer yes to any of these Passover celebration calamities, then you must call upon Matzah Man!

This all ages graphic novel is a perfect introduction into the Jewish holiday of Passover! I'm married into a Jewish family and I've participated in the Passover Seder before. Yet I learned some new stuff about the holiday from reading this book!

Matzah Man to the Rescue! is divided into several easy to read chapters. The artwork is a mixed medium of cartoon art and real life photographs. So if the young readers in your life have never learned about Passover before and don't know what a matzo looks like, they'll be able to now thanks to Illustrator Charlie Fowkes. I just wish writer Eric Kimmel had devoted more space than just a paragraph about how to make charoset, since the use of it on Matzah wafers are history's first records of what we now refer to as the sandwich. 

This is a turbulent time in history. The conflicts in Israel are full of good intentions and terrible atrocities. Antisemitism is at a 75 year high and don't think for a minute that I am not aware nor compassionate towards those Palestinian families that are in the middle of a war because of their faith and heritage as well as extremists who acted independently of the majority. Iranians too! I have cousins who are Iranians and they often talk about how their family and friends long to be free of the regime that currently rules Iran with an iron fist.

My hope reading this graphic novel accomplishes 3 things. I've already achieved my goal of reading and collecting a new holiday themed graphic novel. Now I hope others looking to teach their little ones about the Jewish culture will go out and get this book. Then I hope that learning experience might help spread understanding, love and peace to a troubled section of our ailing world.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Vision and the Scarlet Witch #8

1958 marked the first of many appearances of civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr in a comic book. Martin Luther King and The Montgomery Story tells of the Atlanta preacher's involvement in the Alabama bus boycott that came about from the incarceration of Rosa Parks after she refused to give up her seat to a white patron. What I am not certain about is the first instance of a comic book to take place during Martin Luther King's birthday, I very much may have read the very first one. 

The first push for a federal holiday honoring King was in 1968 just a few days after his assassination. The push for the ratification of a bill had gained enough momentum by 1981 that the US Senate was presented with a petition signed by some 6 million people after a brief march through the nation's capitol, led by King's widow, Coretta. After a few committee stalls and some contentious debate, a vote took place in the fall of 1983. The bill was signed into law by Ronald Reagan in November with the first official Federal holiday of Dr. King's birthday to take place in January, 1986.

This issue of Vision and the Scarlet Witch hit store shelves on February 4th, 1986, just 2 short weeks after the first official MLK, Jr. holiday observance. Other books might have come out before celebrating the unofficial observances of King's birthday. There might have been other books released by DC and Marvel (or some of the smaller publishers) earlier that year that also have stories that take place during that first MLK Day. I just don't know. For a fan of holiday themed comic books, this is my first experience with a story set during this event. There's been a couple of books I've read that mention the Federal observance as a part of King's legacy. But usually those books only have a single panel set during the holiday. This story is 24 pages of super heroes operating during the night of January 20th, 1986.

Quicksilver and wife Crystal are visiting with Vision and the Scarlet Witch when Luke Cage comes crashing through the living room window of the former Avengers. This is supposed to be a peaceful day for Cage, reflecting on the legacy of Dr. King. Instead, a magical death cult has other plans for the Hero for Hire. 

Followers of a demon called Zor are looking for a set of idols that Luke Cage and partner Power Fist once confiscated and gave to Wanda for safe keeping. Wanda hid the idols somewhere in the World Trade Center. With brother Pietro in tow, Cage, Vision and the Scarlet Witch head over to the WTC to destroy the relics once and for all.

You might think that a story such as this has minimal references to MLK Birthday and you're right. Unlike an issue set at Christmas, Halloween or just about any other holiday, the settings are not full of posters of Dr. King and other decorations. We get Luke Cage reflecting on the civil rights icon. Scarlet Witch bestows Cage a blessing of the 'new holiday'. Then as things end for the story, Quicksilver makes a racist statement against humans and Cage comments that making strides for racially equality includes mutants and that was what Dr. King's dream was all about.

Yes- this issue really ends with Luke Cage doing his best impression of Linus from A Charlie Brown Christmas! The sapping ending kinda gives new meaning to Cage's trademark exclamation of 'Sweet Christmas.' Yet, in a time when not every state was willing to celebrate a holiday devoted to a black American, this issue was a big deal. Remember it wouldn't be until 1993 before Arizona would finally observe MLK Day and another 7 years before South Carolina would pay state employees for the day off work. So to have January 20th the setting of this Marvel issue, as passing or trite as the creative team might have made it's usage in this story, it was a huge step forward in bringing about normalcy and acceptance to the new holiday celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out 10 stars.

The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 12

Today's Advent is boldly going where no holiday countdown has gone before- it's a look at the Christmas ornaments from the extremely popular sci-fi franchise, Star Trek.

While Star Wars beats the pants off of Star Trek in terms of quantity of ornaments sold by Hallmark, it's the latter franchise that predates the world of George Lucas. The first Star Trek ornament produced by Hallmark was released in 1992. It is a magic ornament representing the Shuttlecraft Galileo from the original series. When plugged into the Christmas lights on the tree, Trekkies could push a hidden button and hear a special holiday message from Mr. Spock himself! Yes, Hallmark managed to get Leonard Nimoy to record a voice-over. They must have paid him a buttload of cash to do it!

Two of my favorite ornaments produced from Hallmark are of a pair of obscure characters. The tri-armed Lt. Arex and feline Lt. M'ress were characters on the short-lived NBC Saturday morning cartoon version based on the original series. Producers wanted to include more alien characters onto the cartoon to make it more visually appealing to kids. This meant that Nichelle Nichols' Uhura, George Takei's Sulu and Walter Koening's Chekov were to be cut from the show. Seeing that both of Star Trek's ethnic characters weren't going to be a part of the cartoon, Leonard Nimoy went on strike. A deal was made and Uhura and Sulu were kept on the crew with M'ress trading duty of coms with Uhura. Arex slid over to Chekov's seat and Mr. Sulu remained as the helmsman. Don't feel too bad for Walter Koening, he was involved on the show in production as a script writer and story consultant.

Anyways, Arex and M'Ress were really awesome characters. Thus, I want to share this pair of 2018 Comic Con exclusives, which due to their limited release are currently valued at $160 for the set.

You can't talk about Star Trek ornaments from Hallmark without mentioning this piece from 2015. Consistently ranked as one of the strangest and most awkward ornaments in holiday history. This ornament depicts the death of Mr. Spock at the conclusion of Star Trek II: The Wraith of Khan. A great moment in sci-fi movie history. But a kinda weird choice for something to hang on your tree what with Spock's skin all burnt and peeling off...

From the DIY department, I bring you this crafty idea. Take your favorite photo of Captain Kirk from the original series, laminate it and stick it inside a plastic globe. Then add several miniature pom poms, preferably of earth tones (IRONIC!). Boom! Instant recreation of the penultimate scene from 'The Trouble With Tribbles!'

Lastly, let's look at the craft made realm of Star Trek decorations for sale on the internet. I chose this pair devoted to Star Trek: The Next Generation's Captain Jean-Luc Picard. First from a seller on Etsy is this laminated print of the good Captain wearing a Santa Cap and  getting ready to pronounce his trademark phrase 'Make It So.' To go with that is this wooden ornament found on Geekxgirls.com. It's a wooden ornament that makes a holiday pun of Picard's famous phrase by instead proclaiming 'Make It Snow.' HA! I love it!

The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 7

Today's post is all up to fate. If it wasn't for the random pop culture generator I used to help with a large chunk of this Advent, I really don't think in a million years I would have decided to take a look at the world of musicals. Since it wasn't specified, I'm looking at musicals from both the stage and silver screen.

First up is a piece from Phantom of the Opera. For a couple of years, my wife purchased several ornaments based on the Andrew Lloyd Webber production. The ornaments look like a stage, complete with curtains and lime to represent key scenes of the play. My favorite of the ones my wife has is the one for the song 'Masquerade' with the Phantom dressed as a devil hoping to steal a dance with the fair Christine. Produced by American Greeting cards, this battery operated decoration would light up and play about 15 seconds of the song when a button in the back was pressed. A pretty heavy ornament, unless you had a really sturdy tree, this decoration was better suited for your bookcase.

If you want to make your Christmas tree the hottest thing on 4-wheels, might I suggest this replica of Greased Lightning from the musical Grease? Produced by Hallmark, this is a snazzy little piece. Though I think it would have been an awesome touch if they had put the scratch on the side of the car like when Danny races in the culvert and the rival gang's car slices into the convertible. 

To represent my favorite musical, here's one from Stromboli's Wagon. It's a resin TV set with a picture representation of the cast from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Here's a fun fact: the book the musical is based on was titled Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. However, they changed the name to Willy Wonka because producers did not think audiences would go see a film named after soldiers of the North Vietnamese army. 

To represent my wife's favorite musical, I'm sharing this dated ornament available on Cafe Press. I choose this one because on having seen Les Miserables many times, I have seen this very ornament for sale at the souvenir stands at the venues. It's got the iconic Les Mis girl, Cosette, I think along with a red ribbon strand and 2022 date attached.

For those of you who like the DIY approach, I've seen what's being done on Etsy and it's pretty cool. Fans of musicals can actually submit their favorite Playbills and have them turned into ornaments. Proud parents can have the programs to their kids' musicals and plays turned into a lovely memento for years to cherish.

The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 6

 

You'll need change for a dollar when it comes to today's advent. We're looking at ornaments based on video games. So here's 4 quarters worth of ornaments that will make any gamer get in the holiday spirit.

My first experience with video games was probably just like a whole lot of others born between 1960-1980- Pac-Man! I found a pair of adorable hand blown glass ornaments that add a touch of Christmas to a Pac-Man stand unit. Both designs seem to have the same Christmas tree maze on the screen. But the design on the side appears different. While one has what looks like authentic 1980s Pac-Man and the ghosts in holiday colors and a Santa hat, the all-blue paneled version looks much more cleaner. I couldn't choose which one I like, so I went with both!

This type of stand units were referred to as cabinets. Not sure why as I don't recall any of them having closing doors. However, I wanted to include the next ornament as it represents my wife's very favorite game of all-time, Galaga. A Magic ornament from Hallmark, this 2009 piece would light up and play the theme song when the coin slot panel is pressed. Unlike other Magic ornaments that I am aware of, you don't have to plug this one in. Instead it took 3 batteries to power.

After Atari, the video game system most families had was the Nintendo Entertainment System. To represent the NES I selected this part of rubber ornaments sold by Game Stop. Its pixel accurate representations of the Mario Bros. I dunno why but I always like Luigi better...

In middle school and high school, I was introduced to Street Fighter II. My best friend Jonathan had the game and we'd have massively long tournaments when I spent the weekend over at his house. 

I choose this ornament representation mostly for its name: 'Bauble Heads'. HA! I love it! Plus it proves that the word baubles is really just another way of saying Christmas Ornament. #vindicated.

After the NES, there was the Gameboy. Who didn't get a copy of Tetris with their hand-held video game system? While I preferred the full-colored NES version of the game, I spent many an hour on my Gameboy making those blocks fall. And then when I went to sleep, those suckers would keep on fallin'!

Here's a lovely blown glass representation of the Gameboy COLOR system with Tetris game already in play. Manufactured and sold by Old World Glass. 

Do you have a lot of video games and you just don't know what to do with them? Why not go for the DIY approach! Take an old video game, hot glue a decorative bead with a hook attached and create those Christmas memories as you hang that now useless and devalued cartridge on the tree like with this Atari 2600 Indiana Jones game from the 1980s!

Lastly, I want to pay tribute to what I believe is the grandfather to the video game- the pinball machine. Every video arcade in the world had a row of pinball machines. Eventually, as the technology got better, some pinball machines turned into video games.

This ornament is from Hallmark. Titled 'Pinball Wonder', it's a magic ornament depicting Santa playing a holiday themed pinball game revolving around snowballs. Apparently this ornament not only had sounds and light, but Santa's arm would also move pulling the plunger back.

Tis The Ugly Sweater Season! Advent 2021: Day 16

You don't have to buy pre-made ugly sweaters. You can DIY-It! 

Here's a look at some of my favorite homemade ugly sweaters!

This kit comes with stencils, fabric glue and felt. All you need is the sweater/sweat shirt.

Decoration your own Nativity with this sweater kit. As you can see, things are getting a little rowdy in Jerusalem...

For safety's sake, please make sure the casings are empty and not filled with gun powder.

I love this clever toy soldier DIY.

I bet this sucker is itchy!

This straddles the border from ugly sweater to costume piece.

Grandma got run over by a reindeer.

Turn yourself into a menorah! 

One year my wife's work had an ugly sweater party. But she didn't have a sweater. So I bought this for her. It comes with 6 patches you attach to your shirt with safety pins.

As I was researching these DIY sweaters, I saw one common project. It involves turning yourself into a Christmas tree by creatively attaching tinsel and ornaments to certain parts of your sweater and a big star on one of your wrists. When you move your hands together over your head, your body now resembles a tree. You then take the star and hold it up top.

So as my Advent present for you today, here's a video on how to make this clever ugly sweater costume. It's the 3rd sweater on this short 4 minute vid.

Enjoy...

 

Rugrats: C is for Chanukah (Family Comic Friday)

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving. Now that we’re done with the turkey and football, parades and such, it’s time for Family Comic Friday to focus on the holidays This week we begin reviewing  holiday specials for 2018. But before we get ready for a visit from Santa, we must get ready for the festival of lights. To help us, we’ve got some little tykes with big imaginations. It’s Kaboom’s Rugrats: C is for Chanukah.

Rugrats: C is For ChanukahWritten by Daniel Kibblesmith, Cullen Crawford
Illustrated by Kate Sherron
Published by Kaboom! Studios.

(Note: There are dozens of ways to spell Chanukah. I will be using ‘Hanukkah’ as my family spells it during our traditional festivities, unless referring to the title of the book.)

I was absolutely thrilled when I first heard about this comic. To my knowledge, there’s never been a Hanukkah special. There’s been Hanukkah stories in the pages of DC, Marvel and even Archie holiday specials. But as far as I can tell C is for Chanukah is the first of its kind. (At least from a major publisher.)  I’m sure that this has made Mr. Adam Sandler’s day and eight crazy nights!

Rugrats is the perfect vehicle to introduce people to Hanukkah. In 1995, the Snick cartoon made history introducing millions to the Jewish holiday of Passover with 1995’s A Rugrats Passover. Now Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica and the twins Phil and Lil introduce the miracle of Hanukkah to families in this hilarious special.

The kids and their families embark in a week-long winter vacation. Watching the Reptar Chanukah Special, Tommy and friends get a very weird education into the holiday’s origins. Thus during this vacay, Tommy’s grandparents, the Kropotkin’s decide it’s the right time to start teaching the kids about Hanukkah.

Unfortunately, Mr. Kropotkin isn’t exactly the best storyteller and he tells the babies of a golem monster that eats bad little children when the lights go off. Thus, Tommy and friends decide to go on the offensive. With flashlights in hand, can the Rugrats survive 8 whole nights with a Hanukkah monster on the loose? Where’s Reptar when you need him?!

One of the best things about the Rugrats cartoon was how the babies got things wrong and try to solve their dilemmas with their overactive imaginations. Writers Daniel Kibblesmith (Valiant High) and Cullen Crawford do a fantastic job capturing that sense of wonder in this book. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nickelodeon decided to adapt this book into a 30-minute animated special. I would watch it!

The book was laugh-out-loud funny! The dialogue was perfect. Thankfully, Chuckie’s very annoying father, Chaz, has a part of this story that was kept to a minimum. I’m also glad that the Christmas Vs. Hanukkah rivalry between Tommy’s grandfathers wasn’t as big a deal as the trade solicitations advertised it as being. I think that would have minimized the importance of Hanukkah.

I loved the art in this book as well. Artist Kate Sherron (Amazing World of Gumball) does a fabulous job making everybody look like their 1990s counterparts. But I also appreciate how the artist renders the Reptar TV special and the children’s daydreams in different art styles to keep the excitement fresh and engrossing.

I really wanted to personally own a copy of this book. Holiday comics are one of my favorite things to collect and read. C is for Chanukah would have been a perfect addition to my collection. However, that just isn’t meant to be just yet. I went to several comic book stores the day after the book dropped and each store was sold out!

This is one of the few times where I will tell you that if you can’t find it in print, go digital! The book retails for $7.99. However, it’s bigger than a regular 24-page comic and it’s just so funny and informative at the same time! If you come from a mixed Jewish/Christian family like I do or you have friends who are curious about the Jewish people and their cultures, I highly recommend this book! Make it your Hanukkah present to them!

Now if someone would only make a Kwanzaa holiday special, my collection would be complete… almost. Who am I kidding? I’m never gonna stop hunting for a new holiday special!

Rugrats: C is for Chanukah debuted in print and digital platforms on Wednesday, November 14th.

Hanukkah, 2018 begins the evening of December 2nd.

Super Human Resources Season 1

There's a new trend in book-selling that I am completely on board with. It's the dollar used book store. All items, including games, DVDs, CDs, and even comic books are a dollar or less. With these type of stores, you can fill grocery bags with kids and young adult books for around $10. Every time I visit one of these places I find some great stuff and the book I am reviewing today just happens to be one of those gems!

Super Human Resources is a 4-issue series about office temp Tim. Tim has accepted a job in the HR department at Super Crises International. It's the corporate headquarters for the world's greatest superhero team, the Mighty Super Crises Squad! Only problem is, these heroes are a bunch of idiots! Tim learns that with great power comes a whole bunch of stupidity and that means liability.

Whenever a battle between good and evil occurs, property is damage occurs. That means that SCI is fiscally responsible for the mess the Squad makes. This team makes a ton of damage and that means it's going through a ton of cash to repaid for their faults. As a result, SCI and the Mighty Super Crises Squad is forced to shut down. Could Tim be the superhero's superhero and save the day with his amazing office skills?

This indie comic was extremely funny. In some ways this book succeeds in where the TV show Powerless failed. It had memorable characters. It was a clear satire of office life and a parody of the superhero genre. Plus most importantly, this book had superheroes! 

All the time, comic books put in characters into different titles that come out the same month in stories that do not really interlink. So, why would it have been a problem if Grant Gustin's Flash made a stop or two at Wayne Technologies on Powerless?! Yes- the superheroes in the comic are all-new to this series. But while HR's Tim was the star of the show, it was those with powers who made this plot line more relatable and relevant.

Ken Marcus and Justin Bleep do a really awesome job on this book. There's a Season Two and I really want to get my hands on it. Another cool thing is that one of the chapters is a holiday issue in which SCI has a hilarious office party that ends in complete disaster! 

If you are looking for a comic that combines the Avengers, The Tick and The Office, try Super Human Resources. I highly recommend this book because it's completely unexpected and thoroughly entertaining.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Individual issues and the collected first season can be found at Comixology.com.

Happy St. Patrick's Day, 2018!

Red Xmas, Part One

Red Xmas, Part One
Writers: Clay Adams and Alexandre O. Phillippe
Art: Dominike Stanton
Letters: Charles Pritchett
Colors: Emily Elmer
Published by Fried Comics

It's Christmas Eve and Santa is having trouble capturing that Christmas magic that helps him deliver toys to all the good little girls and boys of the world. The only thing that is helping is Mrs. Claus. But when she dies in a tragic accident right before Santa is to leave for the night, Santa goes into shock and needs the elves to help him through the night. Meanwhile in Vermont, young Bryon is expecting Santa to bring him his estranged father for Christmas. Despite the misgivings of his mother, an FBI agent, Bryon is adamant that the Santa at the mall promised him that his dad would return.

So when Bryon and Santa finally meet, the lad learns that his pop is a deadbeat wannabe elf now. Not happy with the revelation, Bryon gives Santa a swift kick in the jingle bells to which a traumatized Santa finally snaps! Thus begins a very bloody Red Xmas!

Naughty, But Nice

First and foremost- this is not a Christmas comic for just anybody. It's definitely not for kids and if the movie Bad Santa was appalling to you then you're not going to enjoy this book. But if you are like me who likes a wide arrange of Christmas comics, especially those that are completely insane, then you are going to love Red Xmas.

When we first meet Santa Claus, how do I put this- he's getting a very special present from Mrs. Claus. Yes- it's kinda dirty at the Old North Pole. Add a jigger of Quentin Tarantino-like violence, a smattering of slapstick, and a touch of vigilante justice and I think you've got an idea what the first chapter of Red Xmas is like. Then add some gasoline to the yule log and you've got the most outlandish holiday comic of all. I'm really interested in knowing what Christmas is like at the Adams and Philippe households. I'm sure it's wild at both!

A Yearly Tradition

Red Xmas, Part One was released in 2015. Despite a one-year skip, Fried Comics is hoping to make the continuing saga of Santa and Bryon an annual event. But it can only happen with your help. There's just a couple of days left on Fried's latest Kickstarter project that looks to combine the now out-of-print first issue along with the second chapter of Red Xmas. With only about $600 left until the project is fully funded, there's a great chance that Red Xmas: O Holy Crap could be sitting under your tree next Christmas!

Maybe you aren't ready to commit to the Kickstarter. That's okay. You can still request a free PDF of chapter one if you sign up for the Fried Pie newsletter. Just head over to friedcomics.com/free for an early Christmas present!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 149

   It's Memorial Day today. Now like some holidays such as Labor Day and Thanksgiving, Memorial Day doesn't take place on the same day. But I thought I could still take a look at Memorial Day in my birth year.

Wilmington National Cemetery,
Wilmington, NC.

An unknown relative places flowers at a Veteran's Grave,
Sawtelle Veteran's Cemetery.

A joint forces Memorial ceremony,
Ramstein Air Force Base, Gemany.

     Of course, there was more than just parades and tributes on this day. For many, there were BBQs and celebrations galore.

Celebrities such as Steve Martin and Karen Carpenter
engaged in a charity softball game, Las Vegas, Nevada.

      Here's a scene from a random cookout in rural America.

    Okay- well, that's my look at Memorial Day, 1977. Hope everyone has a great day. 

     Until next time...