Birding Is My Favorite Video Game: Cartoons about the Natural World from Bird and Moon (Updated Edition)

Here's another book I was able to get this book on Amazon, and while not compensated by the company except for getting it for free, I did post this review on their listing for the book. Rest assured, this is my honest opinion and rating of the book.

Bill & Ted's Most Triumphant Return

According to Alex Winter, Mr. Bill S. Preston, Esq. in the flesh, in this book's foreword, when the creative team of Brian Lynch and Jerry Gaylord was crafting this miniseries, Bill and Ted creators Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon were working on the third film in the series, Bill & Ted Face the Music. Secretly, Winter, along with the creators as well as Keanu Reeves were on massive pins and needles. If 2015's Bill & Ted's Most Triumphant Return sucked, it could very much upset the whole thing. Studio execs could warrant that if a comic book sequel to the first 2 Bill & Ted movies was a giant flop, why would they want to pump millions of dollars into another live action flick to could potentially go belly up as well? Thankfully, this canon comic book epic didn't wreck the franchise!

Taking place after the events of Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, the boys having some massive writer's bock. The world is demanding another rock epic from Wyld Stallyns and the fear of failure has paralyzed the guys. It's also really bugging them as to why Chuck De Nomolos, the villain from the 2nd movie, hated Bill and Ted so much. Into the time machine for the fellas...

Appearing in the future, they meet a teenaged De Nomolos who is ostracized by friends and family alike. Turns out being the foretold killer of your society's messiahs really carries a stigma. Bill and Ted really feel bad for the kid and they attempt a personality makeover. However, their good deeds don't go unpunished as when Bill and Ted return to their time, they find themselves replaced by De Nomolos and his future cronies! If you thought making robot Bill and Ted to kill the real McCoy was sinister, you haven't seen anything yet as Chuck De Nomolos not only strands the boys in prehistoric times, but he also allegedly kills off both members of Station, turns Rufus into a wanted fugitive and steals Death's Grim Reaping powers!

I thought this was a fantastic midquel that doesn't do anything to harm the flow between Bogus Journey and Face the Music. If you're having trouble visualizing what a midquel is, think about how Rogue One now sits in-between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Lots of great historical cameos. I won't spoil anything. But I do want to complain just a pinch that Cleopatra and ancient Egypt is nowhere in this book despite being featured on the front cover. 

Speaking of the cover, there are tons- TONS, of variant covers. Plus there are several shorts that explore the B&T universe. They were great reads featuring art and story by special guest-stars. I wouldn't mind another helping of these tales; they were that great.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1: Squirrel Power

There's not many superheroes out there that can claim that they defeated Thanos, Deadpool and Doctor Doom. Oddly enough, Squirrel Girl can. And she's about to add a few more villains to her list, including the biggie of them all: Galactus! But first, she's got to move into her dorm, meet her roommate and her roomie's cat, attend freshman orientation and catch the eye of the freshman hunk that she ran into during her first day of college. Armed with her best friend, Tippy Toe the squirrel, some borrowed Tony Stark tech and a nauseating amount of optimism, Squirrel Girl just might be able to save the world.

Written by Ryan North and illustrated by Erica Henderson. Although, it really seems to me that Erica Henderson should receive co-plotter credits based on the amount of work she's credited for by Ryan North in the letters column of each issue. When's the last time you could say that a trade paperback included the letters columns? Tongue is very much in cheek all around. However, there's a certain degree of reverence to the lead character, which you have to admit is one of Marvel's odder creations. 

Almost every page has a secret message around the bottom margin. You'll need a microscope to read the ones in issue #1. It gets a little bigger on issue #2 but it doesn't help much that the font color appears to be this dijon mustard beige hue. The messages are mostly funny. A couple are interesting factoids. But they also gave me a bit of a headache, and that's with reading glasses.

I don't think that I am going to keep this book. I wouldn't be opposed to reading volume 2 if I found it for cheap or at my local library. As a bonus feature, Squirrel Girl's first appearance from 1990's Marvel Super-Heroes Winter Special is included. Those early 90s seasonal specials are on my wish list and I have quite a few in my collection. Considering how expensive a copy is, I wouldn't mind owning a reprint or facsimile edition of that issue. But only her story is included in this book. It's just not enough to get me to want to hold onto it.

Be mad at me if you want, but Tippy Toe is the best character and excellently drawn. I just hope she doesn't meet the same grisly fate of her predecessor Monkey Joe.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The Lisa Book (The Simpsons Library of Wisdom)

I've read several books in the Simpsons Library of Wisdom series and they're a lot of fun. This one stars Lisa; essentially the morale compass of not just her Simpson clan but the town of Springfield. In other words, Lisa Simpson isn't that funny. 

That's not to say that Lisa is a total stick in the mud. She's rather complex. She can be completely serious. But she's also known to have teamed with her brother Bart and gone completely bonkers  begging father Homer to go to a water park, visit Itchy & Scratchy Land and install a backyard swimming pool.

Every Simpsons Library of Wisdom book has a recurring theme. For Bart, its mischief. For bartender Moe, it's self-loathing and a surprising devotion for little Maggie Simpson. With Lisa, her theme seems to be high brow culture mixed with a crush on any teen superstar named Corey and a desperate desire to own a pony.

There was one part of this book that I absolutely objected to. It was a look at artifacts from the Lisa Simpson presidency. But Lisa's administration takes place in the future. How could they be here now when you this book very much reads like the scrapbook of Lisa when she's 8-years old. I know that this was a work of fiction. But having such an anachronism really makes that OCD area of my brain itch like a bad case of poison ivy!

Not my favorite volume of the series. Not terrible. But it's got a lot of droll, high brow references. If I was going for such, I'd watch a marathon of Frasier and those bourgeois references are why I couldn't watch it. Maybe I'll keep it. Maybe I'll sell it for some valuable trade credit. I'm really going have to think on this a while...

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

I Love Lucy Comics #34 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

During the last season of I Love Lucy, the Ricardos and the Mertz family moved to the suburbs of Connecticut. This helps to explain the setting of this issue's last story. A sudden snow storm makes it impossible for Ricky to get out of his driveway. Things get chaotic when the Ricardos' inventor neighbor turns their lawnmower into an ersatz snowplow.

One of the main plot points for I Love Lucy is Lucy's constant attempts at fame, often to disastrous effect. In the opener, Fred gets Ricky hired to perform at a dude ranch. In return for Lucy and Ethel tagging along, the girls have to work a few shifts at the check-in desk. When Lucy learns that a famous TV producer is visiting in hopes of researching a new Western series starring a woman cow hand, Lucy tries to show the exec that she's the only woman for the show! Spoiler- she really is not.

The middle story features the forgotten member of the Ricardo clan: Little Ricky! When Ricky and Lucy go on a ski trip, they take their son along. Being his first time skiing, Little Ricky is given a beginners level course on the bunny slopes. However when it's determined that the tyke is a natural skier, he runs laps around mom and dad!

I Love Lucy stopped producing new episodes in 1957, 4 years before this issue debuted on newsstands. A smattering of one-hour specials kept Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez on people's minds, but the reason I Love Lucy continued as a comic book published by Dell until 1962, 2 years AFTER Lucy and Desi divorced, was because I Love Lucy never left airwaves! 

Desi Arnez was a Hollywood executive genius. Being a Cuban entertainer, he had been screwed over by agents and movie execs before. So when he brokered the deal for I Love Lucy, Arnez made secure the rights to the series. This, along with the use of revolutionary high-quality 33-mm film helped ensure that I Love Lucy lived on in syndicated rerun history literally till the end of time. 

I Love Lucy Comics was not Lucy and Desi's first time in sequential art form. The show was tested out in 2 Dell Four Color issues (#535 and #559). Those two issues were retroactively numbered as the first two issues of the series. Before that, I Love Lucy was run as a daily newspaper comic strip from 1952-55 through King Features Syndicate. 

This would be the penultimate issue of the series. #35 (April, 1962) would be the final issue of I Love Lucy Comics. However, it would not be the end of Lucille Ball, nor the other cast members in comics. From 1963-64, Gold Key released 5 issues based on Ball's first post-divorce comedy, The Lucy Show, which costarred Vivian Vance who played Ethel on I Love Lucy. In 1990, Eternity Comics produced several Collector's Edition issues that reprinted stories from both the comic strip and Dell Comics catalog. 

Paul S. Newman is colloquially attributed as the series writer and artist. As it wasn't a common practice at that time for Dell Comics to give their creators any sort of by-line credit, it is possible that this issue was written and illustrated by someone else. 

Cover photo was provided by either CBS Studios or Desilu Productions.

Completing this review completes Task #21 (Live Action Comic Adaptation from the 1960s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann

A mystery novel in which a flock of sheep attempts to solve the murder of their shepherd. 5 years ago, I would have overlooked this book. But today, I am the owner and caregiver of several Nigerian Dwarf goats, I've become an amateur vet tech for a variety of animals, and I can't get enough mystery stories. So, this book seems to check off a lot of interests for me.

I first became aware of this 2005 novel about a month ago and I owe it all to Facebook. It was on that social media site that I came across the trailer for the live action film adaptation. Sheep Detectives, starring Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson, is due out later this Spring. By the end of the 2 minute sneak preview, I was dying laughing and so ready to go see it in theaters. I must admit, it's been a long time since I have been left wanting to see an full-fledged comedy of any sort that wasn't rated appropriate for general audiences. And even though I am not happy with Jackman divorcing his wife after an affair with a much younger actress, I was willing to overlook it to see this movie!

The trailer is where I learned that Sheep Detectives is based on a mystery novel. I immediately went to Amazon in hopes of purchasing a copy. Only, I couldn't find anything cheaper than $35. In fact, most editions were priced in the $80 to $100 plus range. For a 20 year old book! What the frick?! 

I then learned that the book was originally published as Three Bags Full. Also, in order to tie in with the film, all previous editions were placed out of print in place of a brand new edition. Thus the move prompted most sellers to raise their prices to those astronomical prices. I don't think they realized that this is actually a dumb move, as with a much cheaper edition coming out, and pretty soon as well, I was willing to wait for the pre-order. I assume that with how insane overall prices have become, a lot of eager mystery fans were willing to wait for a more pocket book friendly edition to come out.

My book arrived just before Easter. That seemed very appropriate considering how lambs and lush fields are symbols of the holiday season. I was taken by the adorable set of sheep on the front cover. I would encounter them more as they all appear in a makeshift animated sequence that plays out on the bottom right corner of the book if you flip the pages kinda fast. 

I learned from the back cover that this book was originally written in German where it has the different title of Glenkill, the name of the rustic Irish town where the murder takes place. Since I would be reading an English translation of a German text, I was concerned that some of the charm and humor might be stunted; forever lost in translation. However I was pleasantly surprised. This was a very cute book with many humorous moments as the flock try to solve the murder of George Glenn from their observations of the human race. 

Naturally, these ruminants get things wrong. Hilariously wrong. As the story is told from the point of view of the sheep, there's a lot of missing parts. Being that nothing happens in this book unless one of George's sheep are present, you might wonder how much mystery can be solved in a small pasture. But it's a very busy crime scene and these goats like to wander off... a lot.

When I read a gritty crime noir, I often get a little lost. (I chalk it up to my growing short term memory loss issues.) So I'll go back and thumb through the book trying to figure out what I missed. As all of the action in this book occurs only in front of the sheep, and they don't quite understand humans very well, there is a lot of incomplete data. Thus, if something didn't make sense, I think that was intentional on the part of the author. Still, not all of the pieces to all of the puzzles fit neatly together at the end. But if you can read between the lines, you should do okay. 

Glenkill is like any small town in the U.K., full of unsavory people who might or might not have something to do with the murders or one of a dozen other scandals that it seems everyone but the sheep and the reader know about. Is it the priest? The butcher? The scorn woman? Everyone is guilty about something but only 1 of the townsfolk knows the truth behind who killed George the shepherd.

Fanciful and fun. Funny too. The charm doesn't have to end and I am not just talking about going to see the film in theaters. Leonie Swann has actually written a sequel; 2010's Big Bad Wool. As opposed to a mystery, it's got a horror edge to it. I wonder if I can wait until October to devour it as part of my Halloween time reading list. It'll be tough but I think I can do it!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Little Lulu, Vol. 7: Lulu's Umbrella Service

 A recent visit to a rather large area used book store uncovered this treasure. It's always fun to find something that you didn't even know existed. It's even better when you find it for a fantastic price and in excellent condition.

Dark Horse's compendium of the complete run of Dell/ Gold Key Little Lulu comic titles was published in the early 2000s. There are 29 volumes! And just my luck (in terms of trying to get the rest of the series), they've been out of print for quite a while. Believe me; if there were more books available for the price I paid for this one, I would have bought up the whole lot. 

I just wish that these were in color. Instead, these volumes are given the Essential Marvel treatment, being published in black and white to make them more affordable. However, there are at least 3 stories in which having color is vital to being able to understand the action better. I had the same issue with Showcase Presents Green Lantern volumes 1-3 because you have a superhero whose main weakness is the color yellow but you can't tell what is that hue because there's no colors to be seen.

My enjoyment of Little Lulu is a lot like a child and their palette as they mature. As a kid, Lulu and friends just weren't my style. But now as I enter middle age, I appreciate the subtle humor of innocent Lulu Moppet. I cackle at the absurd approach to life Tubby has,  especially when he assumes his role as 'the World's Greatest Detective!' Lulu's fairy tales to Alvin shows childhood naivety mixed with the brilliance of the creative mind. The children in these pages are truthfully how the children I teach and interact with every day: they hear things wrong, they think they are always right and they lack the ability to ask adults for wisdom. Any nuggets of insight are provided by their peers. 

Thank goodness I don't have to teach them!

The genius behind these stories is John Stanley. Another comic creator that it took me decades to appreciate. As a young, YOUNG comic book collector, I tended to favor the artists who used more complex lines and shadows. I went for realism. Yet I find in today's troubled world, simplicity is best. If only I could find more of these editions without having to take out a small loan.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10.

Bullwinkle #2

The second and last solo issue from Gold Key in the 1960s titled Bullwinkle. It really didn't need to be renamed because the formula is exactly like the TV show. It just reflects that Bullwinkle became the break out star.

The opening story has Rocky and Bullwinkle investigating the so-called 'Phantom of the Soap Opera.' While squirrel uncovers the clues, moose plays bait, taking a lead role in the stage production. 

Afterwards, Snidely Whiplash infiltrates Mountie's headquarters, posing as a travelling magician whose closing act promises to be explosive for Dudley Do-right. The 'Fractured Fairy Tale' is a spoof on the Woodcutter's Daughter, becoming a beautiful starlet after she rescues a witch. Mr. Peabody takes his boy Sherman back to meet P.T. Barnum around the time he was playing manager for noted songstress Jenny Lind and the talking dog becomes the circus' latest star attraction!

In a rarity, there's also a 3-page solo story starring Boris and Natasha. The spies film a promotional video touting the benefits of living in Pottsylvania and wind up making the Communist country sound so good that nobody will want to escape from it!

Bookending this issue has Bullwinkle resulting in trickery to win a kiddie TV show contest. Also posing as a child in hopes of winning is Boris, who thinks his short stature and former childhood prowess will net him a humiliating win over the children of the United States.

Another fun read that includes a Ripley's Believe It or Not type feature of unusual and somewhat comical facts. It would be almost a decade before Bullwinkle and Rocky returned to comics with a very poor adaptation from Charlton. If you can't get your hands on the classic episodes, this is the next best thing for many laughs and a few groaners. But that's was to be expected from the toon as well.

Worth Consuming!

Rating; 8 out of 10 stars.

Bullwinkle and Rocky #4 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

After a brief defection to Charlton Comics, Moose and Squirrel returned to Western Publishing. From 1972 to 1980 under the Gold Key imprint. Legacy numbering was used for the series with the fun beginning with issue #3. Over the course of the series, at least 6 Whitman variants would be produced.

The new series, now retitled Bullwinkle and Rocky, from just being named after the noted alum from Wottsamotta U, was still riding high from syndication reruns. After The Bullwinkle Show ceased producing new material in 1964, the show continued on network television in reruns on Sunday mornings under several titles. Thanks to syndication packages that also included a repackaged run on a series called The Hoppity Hooper Show, it would not be until the 1990s before America saw a Bullwinkle void on the airwaves, albeit very briefly.

Seeing that Bullwinkle and Rocky were appealing to a new generation of cartoon viewers, Western Publishing was able to cut costs by recycling in material from their Dell and Gold Key archives. Even cover art from that era was reused, with only the new title and a new price tag being the only changes. A small handful of issues saw new material, mostly starring Rocky and Bullwinkle. Backup features starring Dudley Do-right, Sherman and Peabody and 'Fractured Fairytales' were all reissues, as the smaller page count for the 70s Gold Key issues allowed for those segments to be spread out over multiple issues. Some issues, such as issue #12 was compromised of only reprinted material.

In issue #4, Bullwinkle is signed by a producer to become the next singing sensation. A la Johnny Bravo on The Brady Bunch, Bullwinkle fame is more based on appearance and very little talent. The second story has the friends at a carnival where Bullwinkle wins a special prize. Unknown to the colorblind carny, who is secretly an agent of Pottsylvania, he's accidentally given a hollowed out cane filled with top secret blueprints to the Moose instead of Boris and Natasha. The dastardly duo spend the rest of the story chasing Bullwinkle around the festival in hilarious attempts to steal the cane.

There are 2 back-up features. Sherman and Peabody travel to Roman times to see a very indecisive Julius Caesar stymied by superstition. The 'Fractured Fairy Tale' skewers the classic Jack and the Bean Stalk with Jack's mother taking a more active role.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #19 (Cartoon Comic Adaptation from the 1970s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

The Flinstones and the Jetsons #18

I've still got a few books from this past holiday season to review. This one from 1999 was a DC series that had both Flintstones and Jetsons stories in the same issue; but aside from the occasional cover that had Fred and George interacting together, never seemed to have the two actually meeting in a story. 

There are 2 Christmas themed stories here. The cover carol is a parody of It's a Wonderful Life, though Wilma and Barney don't get married as the illustration would imply. It's Christmas Eve and Fred was expecting a big bonus in order to buy Christmas dinner and presents for everyone. However, he didn't get that bonus and instead of asking his boss why, Fred is wishing he was never born. So the Great Gazoo grants his request and Fred views life without him ever being a part of it. However, it all seems like his friends and family are much better off without him... on the surface.

The Jetsons tale was a slapstick farce. Elroy doesn't believe in Santa Claus anymore. Naturally, George rents a Santa costume and tries to restore his boy's faith in Christmas magic. Too bad for George, he forgot to disarm the elaborate alarm system to his home, the robot maid Rosie!

I enjoyed both stories with the Jetsons story probably being my favorite. Not because the first story was bad. As Christmas story aficionado, of not just comic books, it drives me crazy that the Flintstones celebrate Christmas! How is this possible?!? Jesus wasn't even born yet! Who's birth are these cavemen commemorating? 

I'd be okay with a situation similar to Star Wars. They celebrate Life Day, which with the decorating of trees and wearing of red, surprisingly looks a lot like Christmas but isn't. If the cave people of Bedrock celebrated the solstice and it just happens to look very festive like Christmas, I would be okay with that! Just don't call a pre-Christianity holiday Christmas! 

Sorry, but I have to acquiesce to my pet peeve and rate this issue a bit lower than I would normally.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Bill & Teds Excellent Holiday Adventure #1

Bill and Ted reunite with old friends So-Crates, Billy the Kid and the rest of the time displaced crew from the first movie. 

A renegade from the future seeks to rewrite history. Not happy with the age of peace and prosperity ushered in by the music of Bill and Ted, this villain goes back in time and prevents Beethoven from creating his opus: Ode to Joy. Just as Bill and Ted are about to play the classical tune as the closer to a Christmas Eve concert that is key to the boys becoming founders of the golden age of humanity, the song is wiped from history and Bill and Ted are booed off stage. 

When the boys learn that their friends are being eliminated from the history books, it becomes a literal race against time to put the timeline back in place. Expect paradoxes, rewritten historical events and slapstick as 2 sets of time travelers play chess with important historical figures. It's enough to make time close in on itself!

In the backup tale, take a look at Little Bill and Little Ted. Not yet teenagers, the boys are at the mall hoping to buy their best buds the perfect Christmas present. But in order to do that, they need money. Taking a page out of the works of O. Henry, Bill and Ted unknowingly sell off their prized possessions for cash. Add a few bullies and some Christmas magic in the form of a mysterious dude with a ponytail and this will become a Christmas to remember. 

Both stories were great. Though I think I liked The Gift of the Magi tribute best as that is one of my favorite Christmas stories and tropes. Both stories captured the spirit of Bill and Ted perfectly. Writer John Barber bends time so perfectly that you'd think Doc Brown would have needed his trusty chalkboard to keep everything straight.

As for the artwork. I again liked that of the backup feature better. Juan Samu must have had some childhood photos of Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves on hand because this is how I expect Bill and Ted to look when they were in middle school. Butch Mapa did a great job in the first story. But Samu went above and beyond in the amazing childlike likenesses of the heroes.

A really enjoyable read from 2022. But did we ever get whatever at the end of the book is promised to come in 2023? It just says 'Next Year' with an image of Rufus and the Princesses on it. From what I can tell, this holiday special is currently the last time the dudes appear in comics. It appears that publisher Opus went belly up the following year. But really, no one else has picked up this franchise since then? Surely, the comic adventures of Bill and Ted aren't history. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

ALF #13

I found my first Scrooge of the season. This 1989 issue of ALF has a holiday cover with the furry alien covered in Christmas wrapping and that's just about it for holiday cheer. 

There are 2 stories inside. First, ALF soups up his space ship into a rad race car in order to challenge a drag racer and claim a large cash prize. Then ALF activates his old cleaning droid to repair some of the damage he made in the previous story. Only the robot goes a little crazy and places the entire house into lockdown until it can determine if the Tanner family are a threat to ALF's comfort and safety.

There is a special insert. It's a holiday card from ALF and his human family. This is the only Christmas themed material in the entire book. This also includes ads! I suspect that most copies of this issue is missing that centerpiece as this was a book geared towards children. 

This issue was published right around when Marvel was shuttering their all-ages imprint, Star Comics. Though this issue says Marvel on the top left corner, there are still subscription ads for the few remaining kids books being published by the House of Ideas as Star Comics. There's also a coming attractions page that bears the Star Comics moniker. 

In my opinion, Star Comics was one of Jim Shooter's best ideas. I loved these books and despite being in my very late 40s, I am trying to collect the entire imprint run without having to take on a major loan to do it. I would have been perfectly happy with this book if it had a cover that reflected one of the 2 non-holiday stories contained within. I've read that towards the end of the Star imprint, Marvel was trying to use up all of the artwork that they had paid artists for. That could explain why this issue had a Christmas cover despite not being a Christmas comic. Unfortunately, it got my hopes up for a festive read and for that, I must rate this book accordingly.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Christmas 365 #2

Issue #2 takes place a couple months into the Rockwell family journey into a year's worth of Christmas celebration. To celebrate a dozen Christmases is expensive; what with the decorations, the food, the gifts, the trips to the emergency room.

Dad Peter is accident prone. He makes Wile E. Coyote appear like a safety monitor. Thankfully, his daughter has been recording everything and posting the content online. But that income can only go so far and with Memorial Day approaching, it's going to take the Rockwell family to think outside of the box to add to the holiday appeal. In response, they create a Memorial Day Christmas theme park, complete with water slides, reindeer burgers and Santa's salute to Veterans.  

No sophomore slump here. The opening which shows all of the accidents Peter has received since the Christmas when the tree caught fire in the living room, was hysterical. His doctor was a great supporting character. 

The artwork is really good. Lots of creativity, which is essential of you are tasked with developing Christmas themes for Valentine's and St. Paddy's. Piotr Kowalski does a remarkable job that conveys so much life and action.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Christmas With Grubbs #1

The graphic novel adaptation of the animated special of the same name from 2023. After really enjoying a pair of Halloween specials starring the mischievous Grubbs, I was thrilled and delighted to have remembered that I had this book in my collection just waiting to be read.

I actually went into this reading a little disappointed. While I didn't mind that this Keenspot one-shot adapted the animated special, from the images on the back cover, I was under the impression that this book is comprised of screenshots of the cartoon. The first volume of Teen Titans Go! and several Disney XD adaptations of Marvel animated series were both guilty of this. It just lacked that magic of a hand drawn comic book. Plus the screenshots always come out too dark to see clearly...

Thankfully, that's not the case here. Not because they used high quality photography of the screenshots. It's because we get original art here!

Grubbs has his heart set on a deluxe golf cart for Christmas. But he can't seem to get himself off of Santa's naughty list no matter how hard he tries to not get into mischief. The lad is in danger of being on the list permanently when he accidentally drives his dad's bosses new cart into the back nine water hazard. 

Now dad might lose his job. His sister's boyfriend lost his job (because he let Grubbs drive the cart). Plus his brother might get dumped by his girlfriend because he's too embarrassed by Grubbs and his antics to bring her over for Christmas dinner. It could be a Christmas to forget for everyone involved!

I think the biggest surprise for me about this story wasn't the ending. If you thought for a minute that things aren't going to end with some sort of Christmas miracle, then you don't know anything about holiday specials. No, the biggest surprise for me was about Grubb's best friend Tyler. He's not real! He's imaginary! It's no spoiler, really. It's just that I've now read 3 Grubbs one-shots and I hadn't noticed until this holiday special that I realized that even though Tyler is always with Grubbs, nobody except for the main character ever interacts with him! Man, you could have knocked me over with a spoon when I finally learned that!

Another triumph from creator and writer, Max Weaver. Lovely, lively artwork from Athila Fabbio. Perfect for a feel good holiday read! And it's available in it's entirety on Youtube!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars. 

Teen Titans Go! #10 (family Comic Friday)

Readers of all ages got an early Christmas present this year from DC Comics with a holiday issue of Teen Titans Go!

It's Christmas Eve and the Titans are on their way to Doom Patrol headquarters to spend the holidays with Beast Boy and his former teammates/family. While there, the Titans learn of a very strange Christmas Eve tradition that the Doom Patrol partakes in: the annual holiday attack of the shape shifting villain, Madame Rouge.

I apparently have a serious case of the Mandela Effect here because I was sure that Negative Man was a member of the TTG! version of the Doom Patrol. Yet upon checking things out, Negative GIRL is who's always been a member of this team. 

This was a fun holiday issue, written by J. Torres and illustrated by Dario Brizuela. It had a classic DC whodunnit where you, the reader, were to figure out who or what Madame Rouge was hiding in another form as. (I'm proud to say that I solved it before the Teen Titans did!) Everything felt so festive and fun. Plus with how the Chief's mustache and beard makes him look like Santa Claus, I'm wondering if there might be a sequel holiday story that floats around the possibility that the 2 are related. I'd totally be fine with that!

The only thing that I was unhappy with is something that you can't fault the artistic creative team for. It was the cover. Something is wrong with DC's printing process. The area where my thumb rested as I was reading the book bleached out all the colors. Now that one section of the cover looks like a faded postcard of some Christmastime of long, long ago. Too bad that the rest of the cover lacks this appeal. It kinda makes my brain itch, and sadly this has happened with other current DC book covers as well.

The cover says this read is for ages 8+. That's probably because of the fight scenes and a few gross humor one liners. But if you let a child younger than 8 was the long-running Cartoon Network series, then you will have no problem letting them read this hysterical Christmas read.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Zombie Fairy Tales #1

I've read a zombie horror/comedy special from Antarctic Press previously. It was pretty funny with lots of quick gags. Based on that positive experience, I was rather stoked to find this fairy tale based horror special from the same company. 

For the most part, I enjoyed this 2011 one-shot. There were some unique takes on Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks and the Three Bears that resulted in chuckles. I was disappointed that despite having Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and a zombified Captain Hook on the cover, they don't appear anywhere inside. But like most anthology comedies do, this special made the mistake of having 1 long story that wasn't all that funny and ruins the flow of the work. 

The Kentucky Fried Movie and Amazon Women on the Moon both fell into this trap. They had fantastic, rapid fire skits that left you dying laughing; only to slow everything down with a very long, and nowhere near as hilarious segment that ruins everything! 

That's exactly what happens here. In a parody of the Disney Princesses, Prince Charming is about to break Snow White from her sleeping spell with a kiss when a couple of sidekicks approaches him with alternate options. The Little Mermaid and Jasmine are also in need of smooches. Whomever the Prince awakens will make him a very wealthy and powerful man. But just who will Charming select?

There were a few chuckles. But it was also a story that seemed to cross several lines. Hermaphrodite ( or trans- not sure which) jokes aren't funny. They clearly aren't jokes that would fly today... Or would they? Considering how the pendulum has shifted politically in the last year or so, it's hard to tell. Regardless, when they started mingling in characters from Resident Evil, they really overcrowded the stew and like those longer segments from comedic cinema history, it fell flat. 

Not sure if I wanna keep this one. It started so well. It ended so poorly. Can't win them all I guess.

Rating 5 out of 10 stars.

Grubbs Loves Halloween #1

Every time I think that I have reviewed all of my reads for Halloween 2025, I find a book that I read but never reviewed. I'm finding that vivid dreams are a symptom of my fibromyalgia. I will read a book before bed and as I drift off to sleep, I will have crafted a brilliant review. I dream that I posted it here on my blog and everything, only to find out a couple of days later that no, I really didn't write up a fantastic dissertation on the comic, graphic novel or book that I completed. 

The latest Grubbs Halloween special is just another example of such.

In this 2025 one-shot, Grubbs has drafted plans for the ultimate Halloween. It involves, costumes, candy and pranks. Lots of pranks, of which if Grubbs can pull off before midnight will net him a wager of lots of Halloween candy and treats. First up, Grubbs plans on making some Halloween cookies with a special ingredient. Then Grubbs gets in trouble at school and has to pay off his punishment by being the target in the school carnival's dunk tank. Then it's a chance to win his big bet. Unfortunately, the big kids who Grubbs tricked into stealing a giant bag of doggie doo instead of his candy haul, are after the lad; chasing him deep into the bowels of his school's haunted house. It seems that the chances of winning his Halloween bet are in danger for ol' Grubbs.

Lots of fun. I've enjoyed both Grubbs Halloween specials that I have read. The world of Grubbs is so smart and funny. The level of imagination and the great banter between the siblings reminds me of Bill Amend's Foxtrot. Boy, do I miss Foxtrot. At least I get a little bit of a fix here with Grubbs and company. 

This issue was even better than the last special. Probably because both tales in this issue involved Halloween. That other Grubbs special ( I read) had a backup that could have taken place anytime of the year and with Grubbs wearing a tee-shirt and playing with a water hose, it felt like a springtime affair instead of during a chilly fall day.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Sad Sack and the Sarge #128

If the cover to this 1977 Harvey Comic was Christmas themed, I would call this book a 'Scrooge'. We get this really really festive Halloween cover with Sad Sack skewering his gruff, but caring Sarge, as the most frightening decoration for the Army base's upcoming Halloween bash. But in terms of any of the stories being Halloween themed, there's absolutely nothing.

There are 4 stories starring Sad Sack, the Sarge and other characters in this book. 3 are paneled stories. 1 is prose. The artists and writers might have set these tales during the month of October. But there's nothing to the plot or settings that imply that the characters are in the throes of the season of the witch.

The opening story was the best. Sad Sack and Sarge are going on leave via air travel. Sarge got business class while Sad Sack flies 2nd class. The differences in the experiences of the 2 characters couldn't be more polarizing or funny. The middle story was interesting as it's got Sad Sack being an Army test subject to early virtual reality and hard light hologram technology. A funny read but lacking the magic of the opener.

The prose yarn was a rambling mess. These fillers were merely requirements to help meet first class postage standards and the lack of care and finesse shows. But it seems that whomever plotted the prose tale also scripted the last story which sees Sad Sack and Sarge on horseback getting lost on a vacation excursion at a dude ranch. 

There were also a couple of one-page gags that were okay. But again, not involving Halloween. In fact the only thing Halloween themed was an ad for UNICEF starring the main characters of Harvey Comics, including Richie Rich, Casper and Baby Huey. 

This is the second time that I have been burned by an issue of Sad Sack. I bought a reprint of Sad Sack: At Home for the Holidays that features a beautiful cover of the main character coming back to his metropolitan home for a Christmas break. But it was devoid of Holiday cheer. At least one story was set during Sad Sack's trip back home and there was snow. But none of the sets were decorated with boughs of holly; nor were there any 'fa-la-la-la-laaas' in the air.

If I had spent a ton of money on this book I would have been really disappointed. But the asking price was only 90 cents and I think I used trade credit. And at least half of the material in this book was decent. However, if I come across another Sad Sack comic book with a holiday cover of any sort of celebration, you can be assure that I will be making sure there's at least 1 themed tale in the book before I shell out some cash to purchase it.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Popeye Halloween Mini-Comic: Popeye Vs. the Ghosk

This 2009 mini-comic might say Popeye on the cover. But the story that occurs in this book was originally published as part of E C. Segar's Thimble Theater before the spinach loving sailor eventually became the title character of the long-running comic strip.

This Halloween Comic Fest freebie not only provided a classic haunt for comic book collectors but it also advertised a 4-volume collected set of the earliest adventures of Olive Oyl, her brother Castor and hamburger loving pal Wimpy to appear in newsprint. It might surprise you but Popeye didn't appear in the strip in 1929, a nearly full decade after Thimble Theater debuted! Until then, pencil thin Olive Oyl was the main character. 

With that information established and Popeye taking the lead role, this story was first published in the 1930s. As this adventure occurs during Popeye's expedition to find his long lost father, a further Google search reveals that this episode first saw print around the late summer/early autumn of 1936. 

The search for Popeye's pop is just the framing device. Set on the fearless sailor's ship, the Elsie, Popeye reveals to a crew member that legend has it that his boat is haunted. At first, everyone, including Popeye, laugh this rumor off. However, as more and more sailors report at having seen a ghost aboard, including the helmsman who is constantly ordered by the spook to drift off course, Popeye and Olive Oyl seeks to get to the bottom of things. 

Naturally, this results in Popeye getting into fisticuffs with the 'ghosk'. But what I didn't expect was for the story to involve a floating head that hops around the boat and even talks! At first I thought that character might be Popeye's father. But the sailor man doesn't recognize the head. While there's no a cliffhanger at mini comic's end, the book closes without revealing who this dude was. And now I'm obsessed with finding out his identity!

I guess this Halloween time promo comic did it's job. It just took 16 years to attract me. I entered into my reading not really caring about reading more Popeye related work. But now I'm interested in reading more. Though conventional wisdom would argue that I start with volume 1, I don't think I can wait to get to volume 3 or 4 before finding out what happens next. I've read other series out of order. What's one more on my reading resume...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Spookhouse 2018 Halloween ComicFest Mini Comic

I am super stoked that Eric Powell has returned to his hillbilly criminal macabre roots with more adventures of the Goon and Frankie. But it will be next year before I read those because I cannot stand a cliffhanger. Plus I'm still behind 2 volumes. (They've not been very easy to find.)

Until then, I have this mini comic Halloween ComicFest promo and trick-or-treat freebie from 2018 to tide me over.

I've read the first story before. It's pure Powell. A group of obnoxious teens who are haunted house aficionados, are invited by a spry little fella wearing a great skull mask and a tuxedo to visit a legendary site. It's the location of a series of gruesome killings and rumor has it that for one night only, it's open to the public as the best scary attraction in the entire tri-state area. This is something those spook snobs have got to see for themselves.

I love this story. It's got a great punchline ending that while I saw coming a mile away, there's a twist that catches you off guard. Meaning I zigged when Powell zagged and he got me good! I also love the art for this story. You can see how legends from EC Comics like Jack Davis and 'Ghastly' Graham Ingels inspired Powell to create this all-ages fright fest. The design of the little fella in the mask and tails was brilliant. If they ever make a tee-shirt of the cover image, I must have it! And the poses of the subjects and the angles selected for the action- such fluidity of movement.

The second story is only written by Eric Powell. So visually, it lacks that magical oomph. It's about a young boy who earns a F on his book report on a book on monsters written long ago by his late discredited grandfather. More funny than scary. But it's got a ghost, a troll and a school marm who's a worst villain than the two previous frights combined. 

I don't know why I haven't just pulled the trigger and consumed all 10 issues from the 2 series. I've read at least 1 other issue and I thought it was great. And the fact that I read these stories previously and I had a big thrill reading it again; I think that speaks volumes to the skills and talents of Eric Powell. And I had so much fun!

I think next Halloween is going to be a Spookhouse Halloween... 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.