Ripley's Believe It or Not!: Great and Strange Works of Man

I think my love of the great and strange came to me honestly. My mother and her father were big fans of Ripley's Believe It or Not. I remember my grandfather had an entire series of the Ripley's paperbacks that reprinted decades of odd and macabre strips to the general populace. Then there was the TV series on ABC hosted by the great Jack Palance. It was a documentary series that often scared the pants off me... in a good way.

The comic strip has been running strong for over 105 years. It's been nearly 65 years since creator Robert Ripley died and newspapers worldwide are still running accounts of unusual people, freaky coincidences and brain teasers that defy explanation. And let's not forget those Ripley's museums and aquariums. Those can be some fun places to spend a day exploring the world of the unknown.

This 1992 paperback was released as part of a series of anthologies honoring the 100th anniversary of the birth of franchise founder, Ripley. However, Mr. Ripley was actually born in 1890! Though, I guess such oversights are allowed. Thanks to Ripley's 1929 strip that confirmed at the time that America had no official National Anthem, a campaign championed by John Philip Sousa helped correct that oversight through a 1931 act of Congress finally making the Star-Spangled Banner our nation's official song thanks to President Hoover's signature. But that all sounds so much like Robert Ripley. To him, the journey to knowledge was more important that the facts, as bizarre as they might be. 

This TOR paperback focuses on the varying creations of man. From colossal statues made of solid pieces of marble to microscopic works that fit on a grain of rice, there's virtually no limit as to the imagination of the human race. 'Great and Strange Works of Man' wasn't my favorite collection of strips. It wasn't because a bunch of these cartoons came about after Ripley died. Instead, I was sickened by how much wasted wealth and resources went into making these monuments of pride and gluttony. 

For example, towards the end of the book, there's mention of a 300lb solid gold bath tub in the shape of a phoenix which wealthy bathers can use in a hotel in Japan. Based on the price of gold today (June 30, 2024), that bath tub is worth over $8.3 million dollars. Could you imagine how much that precious metal could be used to help Japan's homeless population instead of being used so the ultra-wealthy was stew in their own bubbly filth? Maybe 15 or 20 years ago, such facts about opulence might enthrall me. Instead, as a public school teacher married to a social worker, I see how much so many struggle with so little in today's world and it's off-putting.

Does this book swear me off seeking out other Ripley's material? Not in the least. There were 5 other books in the centennial series of paperbacks. I think I'd be more open to reading about prehistoric creatures, odd places or those strange coincidences than giving this book on excess a permanent home in my comic book and graphic novel collection.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Tales of Supernatural Law (Volume 1)

   All Rise!!! Court is now in session. The cases will be defended by the law firm of Wolff & Byrd, the Counselors of the Macabre.  On the docket today is Tales of Supernatural Law.

Case #001- A twist on the Curse of the Monkey's Paw legend when a beloved family pet is wished back from the dead, things don't turn out as they should.
Case #002- The Curse of the Were-House, a lovely two-story home that turns into a haunted house every full moon.
Case #003- A civil case involving zombie workers who've decided to go on strike.
Case #004- The People Vs. Common Decency... A horror TV host from the 1950s on the verge of a comeback is accused of promoting juvenile delinquency.
Case #005- A super model is accused of violating the contract with her modeling agency. She is counter-suing that the hot shot behind the agency used magic to change her appearance. Can the team of Wolff and Byrd see to it that the evidence WEIGHS in her favor?
Case #006- Dracula, yes THE Dracula, sues the sideshow industry for copyright infringement.

  Lastly before the court adjourns to sunny San Diego for the annual Lawyer Convention, the Counselors of the Macabre will seek to postpone the sad case of Sodd, The Thing That's an It, a young man tragically turned into a walking pile of foliage.
    As you can see from this full case load, there are tons of great law stories with a supernatural edge to them. I had read this book years ago when I first discovered the series at my local library. Now that I am collecting the series, I wanted to re-read this collection. I loved it then and I think after my trip down memory lane, I have fallen that much more in love with Supernatural Law.
    I guess artist/writer/creator Batton Lash has cast a spell on me.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre: Supernatural Law

   Before it became a comic book, Wolff and Byrd: Counselors of the Macabre ran as a comic strip in a prestigious law journal as well as several small publications in the North East. This book collects some of those storylines that were published in the mid-80s. Cringe in fear of the possessed moppet that terrorizing Long Island! Shriek in terror at the thought of unraveling 1000 years of Arthurian Legend copyright law! Be amazed at the smug lawyer who developed the world's largest brain! Wonder at the CHUDs that live in Manhattan’s sewers, desperate for free legal advice!

   This is classic B- movie fodder, folks… and I love it! But these were some rough stories.

  Though this book doesn't contain the very first Wolff and Byrd strips, it appears that creator Barton Lash still had some kinks to work out before finally hitting upon that magic formula that made Supernatural Law one of my favorite Indy comics of all-time. The art is rough, but that is mostly due to Lash having to squeeze so much into a tiny 3- panel strip. However, Mavis does look quite right, Wolff's sister is unrecognizable, and what's going on with Byrd's hair?

  The stories are missing something as well. For the most part, Lash's later works are brilliant satires and wry parodies. In this volume, I don't think he could decide yet whether to be serious and scary or go full on tongue-in-cheek. But by the last third of the book, when you get to the Beauty and the Beast TV Show parody, something clicks and it's like Barton Lash has finally discovered his alchemical formula for comics gold!

  You know a lot of classic TV series have early episodes that for one reason or another don't seem quite right for one reason or another and experienced some growing pains. The first season of Newhart wasn't surreal enough. MASH tried to be too much like the movie version at first. And speaking of Growing Pains, that series didn't take off until it stopped focusing on Alan Thicke as the lead role and on the kids and their silly adventures instead.

  It's one reason why I still give this book a high mark. The process of evolution for the Counselors of the Macabre was more enjoyable than some of the early stories. George Washington didn't wake up and was suddenly the Father of Our Country. It took time filled with victories and defeats.

   Our society is so willing to pooh-pooh something that doesn't work right off the bat. Biggest case in point lately is the Batman V Superman movie. I think the Justice League sequels will dwarf the quality of this year's blockbuster. But it needs time and that's what Batton Lash needed to get this project off the ground.

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Vampire Brat: And Other Tales of Supernatural Law

  Wolff and Byrd, the Counselors of the Macabre, tackle their most hair-raising case yet when a teenage vampire hybrid is outed and targeted by a young vampire hunter in training in the halls of his high school. It's a story of Buffy- proportions! Afterward, the lawyers decide to celebrate their firm's success and throw an office party that gets interrupted by a time traveling client from the future. Then Wolff and Byrd explore the Id and Ego when another young client hires the firm after his imaginary friend destroys a large chunk of Manhattan.

    Meanwhile, everyone's favorite secretary, Mavis, has her own troubles to deal with. First, her pesky boyfriend Toby asks for Mavis' hand in marriage only to end up being betrothed himself to a spectral bride. Then, Toby decides to up and move to Hollywood while a crush from Mavis' past returns wanting to possibly heat things up. It looks like Mavis has got some choices to make but can she keep up her duties at the law firm while finally figuring out what she wants in love and life? 

   Batton Lash takes things to the next level. But I'm not so sure if it was the right move... 

   One of the things I enjoy so much about this series is how it skewers the horror/ sci-fi/ and pop culture genres. I also enjoy how each chapter is full of intertwining storylines but you can read each issue as a self-contained story and not be lost. But the level of soap opera antics involving love triangles, unrequited love, and sappy romances that took over some of the stories just a little too much. Plus, Wolff's sister whose become the firm's new receptionist is too much and I hope they write her off real soon.

   Vampire Brat was a little too much Young Lawyers in Love as opposed to a campier version of Dark Shadows. I haven't given up on this series, but I hope that future offerings return back to Supernatural Law's original formula- QUICK!

  Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Soddyssey & Other Tales of Supernatural Law (Supernatural Law Volume 3)

   The docket is full for Alanna Wolff and Jeff Byrd, the Counselors of the Macabre. While preparing for a major case involving Sodd, the Living Swamp, the lawyers tackle cases involving a zombie facing tax evasion, a statue that suddenly came to life and refuses to go on a world tour, and then help a certain pair of FBI agents solve a case involving alien abduction. Then the New York-based litigators head down to the Big Easy to help Dracula reclaim his home from squatters before heading back to the Big Apple to resolve the Sodd case.

   I love the series Supernatural Law. It's very under the radar for most people- but like my wife says of me, I'm not most people. I found a collection at the library a good, jeez, I don't know how long. It's campy, cerebral, and spooky take on classic horror stories and urban legends just spoke to me and I instantly feel in love. 

   Created and lovingly crafted by Batton Lash, the brains behind Archie Meets The Punisher, perhaps the most unusual team up of all-time, doesn't disappoint in this awesome treasury. Why I'm so hooked on SL that I immediately went to Amazon after finishing this fantastic book and bought 2 more! It's that good!

   Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars,

The Big Book of the Weird Wild West

How much would you be willing to pay for a Western anthology series featuring the artwork of legends such as Dick Giordano, Joe Orlando, Marie Severin, Paul Kuppenberg, Joe Staton, and many, many more? 

 

$50? $75? $100? What if I told you that all of these comic legends could be bought for $14.95 or less? 

   Featuring the writing talents of John Whalen (Un-Men), Rick Klaw (Wild West Show), and others, the Big Book of the Weird Wild West contains dozens of short stories about the oddest lawmen, dumbest outlaws, and strangest habits of the old west that Hollywood and the history books just don't you about. 

   This book was published by Paradox Press, a short-lived imprint of DC Comics from the 1990s. Paradox published a number of anthologies like this one in which each volume was devoted to the odd, the strange, the macabre, and the just plain weird. I love the Factoid Books series. For a history buff than loves his world the weirder the better, these books are the perfect fun reads in sequential art form.

   But as these are books about true events, the Factoid Books or 'Big Books' do not sugarcoat their reports. A little titillating, sometimes gory, and filled with adult themes and language, these books from Paradox are suited for the Vertigo Comics crowd. In other words: for teens and older. 

   I found this copy when I was working at the book sale at my local library. But volumes of this series can be found on Amazon for good prices. You might also come across these books at your favorite used book shop. These are treasured gems in my graphic novel collection and for some reason you can almost always find a copy or two at your local comics shop usual for half off cover or better.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Attack of the Killer Facts by Eric Grzymkowski

   Killer Bacteria! Alien Abductions! Odd Laws! Paranormal Activity! Freaky Weather! Human Oddities! Filled with 1,001 weird and bizarre bits of trivia, Attack of the Killer Facts is the ultimate bathroom reader for fans of the strange and macabre.

    Written by budding Jeopardy contestant Eric Grzymkowski, Killer is Facts is just one of several books written by the gang at the Daily Bender; an informative blog created by Adams Media. Though these fact books are considered 'bathroom readers' you don't have to enjoy them on the porcelain throne. 

   I love reading about weird and odd things and with over 1000 crazy tidbits of subjects ranging from the search for Bigfoot to the odd collections of serial killers, there was tons of new stuff for me to learn. Some of these facts were completely new to me- so new, I couldn't believe them! But each fact comes complete with a list of references so you can further your research like I did when I looked up Lina Medina, who at 5 years old, was documented as the youngest female to ever give birth!

   One thing that each of these facts also contain are jokes and I could do without them. Grzymkowski seems to think he's better suited at comedy than fact finding as he includes an often inane quip at the end of every factoid he presents. 99% of these kneeslappers produced groans instead of gaffaws. Still, even with these stinkers, the amount of interestingly odd facts are enough for me to give another one of Adams Media's readers a try. I just probably will chose one of the publisher's other authors over another offering by MR. Grzymkowski.

    A fun read that suceeds at being a poor man's Ripley's but fails at being another '1,001 Gross Jokes...'

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.