Batman '66, Volume 5

You look at the cover and you're probably saying 'Batman '66 never fought against Solomon Grundy or Clayface!' However, you have to remember that this DC comics webseries turned comic book is supposed to be an imagining of what could have been if ABC never destroyed the sets and NBC picked up Batman for a fourth season!

Plus, you would be wrong in your assumptions about Grundy and perhaps Clayface. If you are like me and you remember the awesomely terrible Legends of the Superheroes and the even worse sequel, the Adam West Batman along with the Burt Ward Robin went up against Solomon Grundy, played by character actor Mickey Morton. Plus, it's a fan theory that the one-shot villain False Face, played by heavy Malachi Thorne, was in fact Basil Karloff, the first Clayface! Well, thanks to Jeff Parker, that theory became reality with a story that sees False Face falling into a polluted swamp and becoming the Matt Hagen version of Clayface!

This volume is sadly the last volume collection of Batman '66 stories. Thus, I think with cancellation on the horizon, the creative team got a chance to give their wildest wishes a chance to get the Batman '66 treatment. Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Bane all make debuts. I loved every page, though there was just a little too much of Marsha, Queen of Diamonds. She's in 2 issues!!! I'd rather give Shame or the Minstrel another chance to shine.

There's a great story where Barbara Gordon takes a temp job at an ad agency that gets held hostage by the Big Four: Catwoman, Joker, Riddler and the Penguin. They want the ad execs to create a campaign, changing their reputation as villains. Unable to change into Batgirl, Barbara has to use her wits and the baddies' hubris to play the antagonists against each other. It's a brilliant story that doesn't see any capes!

Unfortunately, we never get a Batman '66/Superman '52 team-up. Though we come really close in the last issue! The Allred Family wrap up the series with a brilliant tale that reveals true story behind the battle Batman and Robin undertake in the animated sequence performed every episode, during the show's theme song. Towards the very end, we get an amazing cameo of George Reeves' Clark Kent, as well as several other appearances by characters who might have existed in the '66 universe. 

This volume wraps up my having read everything tied into the classic 60s TV version of the Caped Crusader.  I still have a Wonder Woman '77 team up with the Bionic Woman and some of the other more recent releases to go. But hopefully we'll get some more adventures of the Gothamites of 1966. I can understand DC wanting a cooling off period to not over-saturate the brand. But the number of devotees to that show are dwindling. We're not getting any younger. Here's to hoping we don't have to wait until 2066 for further adventures...

Worth Consuming!

Rating 9 out of 10 stars.

Batman Family Giant #13 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

In 1974, DC Comics unveiled a new anthology series called Superman Family. Though Superman was featured on the very first issue, the series centered on the adventures of friends and family of the Man of Steel. Superman Family served a financial purpose for DC as they cancelled the titles devoted to Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane and Supergirl individually and merged them into a giant sized publication for the affordable cover price of 60 cents. Numbering of the series picked upon that  issue #164 of Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen.

A huge success, DC followed up with the anthology formula with Batman Family the following year. Unlike Superman Family, the numbering for the new series began with #1. A few issues later, it was rebranded as Batman Family Giant. The exploits of Vicki Vale, Alfred Pennyworth and the Huntress were regular subjects along with reprints. The first main feature was a monthly team-up of Batgirl and the Dick Grayson Robin. Their first pairing was supposed to be featured in an issue if 1st Issue Special. However, once it was decided to create the Batman sister anthology, editors decided that the Boy Wonder and Batgirl combo would be an excellent selling point with readers. 

Beginning at issue #11, Man-Bat was also made a main feature of the title. An attempt had been made to feature the Jekyll and Hyde type character into a superhero in his own title. However, the idea proved unpopular and the series was cancelled after issue #2. However, as there were still several Man-Bat stories on tap that had yet to be published, the idea was to burn those stories in the pages of Batman Family.

Eventually, Robin and Batgirl, billed as the Dynamite Duo were fated to team with Man-Bat. 

In this issue, both Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon are gifted a new motorcycle. There's no note or indication who sent it. But it intrigues both sleuths, who don their costumes and decide to take their new choppers for a spin. This turns out to be a massive mistake as once they mount their new rides, their arms are essentially handcuffed to the handlebars. Then the motorcycles go into automatic pilot mode, and once in New York City, the two heroes meet, Travelling at speeds well exceeding the speed limit Robin and Batgirl about to play a most deadly game of chicken.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kirk Langstrom is trying to settle into his new role as superhero. Making a new start in the Big Apple, Langstrom has perfected his genetic serum, allowing his body to change into the Man-Bat while keeping his level headed Langstrom personality.

Staying sane as the Man-Bat hasn't been easy. In his most recent experience, a gang armed with a special type of flashlight was able to transform the Man-Bat into a savage jaguar creature. On his latest patrol of the city, Man-Bat runs afoul of the gang with the specialized light source. Knowing that he'll never be free until he can destroy that lantern, the new found hero goes in for the attack. Disarming the the gang, Man-Bat makes a leap for the device. Only another player has taken control of it: the Outsider! 

A classic foe from the 1960s, the Outsider was originally the resurrected Alfred Pennyworth, devoted butler to Bruce Wayne. The process that revived Alfred changed his psyche to wanting to kill Batman and anyone associated with him. It also changed his appearance with his skin becoming chalk white and covered in boils. Able to telekinetically control matter, it's very likely that the Outsider is behind the attack on Robin and Batgirl. Only it doesn't add up. Alfred Pennyworth hasn't reverted to the Outsider persona in years. Has Pennyworth gone mad again? Or has a new player found the key to becoming one of Batman's most deadliest of does?

Published roughly 8 times a year, Batman Family Giant survived until late 1978. Ultimately cancelled with issue #20, the series originally was to survive the infamous DC implosion. Batman Family Giant was actually outselling Detective Comics at the time. Execs actually planned to cancel Detective Comics. Artists and writers protested the loss of such an iconic title and thus Batman Family Giant got the axe. In a sort of compromise, Robin, Batgirl and Man-Bat's adventures were continued in Detective Comics, now given the 'Giant' moniker as the page count was upped to 68 with a $1.00 price tag. After 15 issues, the series lost the extra word and pages 'effectively cancelling Batman Family for good'.

'The Man Who Melted Manhattan' was written by the Answer Man, Bob Rozakis. Artwork was attributed to Don Newton, Marshall Rogers and Bob Wiacek. This issue is notable as being the first professionally published work by eventual Batman Norm Breyfogle, who submitted a redesigned Robin uniform in a portfolio display titled 'Robin's New Look?' in the back of the book. 

Completing this review completes Task #12 (Batman Comic from the 1970s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Teen Titans Go! #12 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

It's Valentine's Day and love is in the air at Titans Tower. First Robin attempts to woo Starfire with his over-the-top antics, which includes wearing a diaper dressed as Cupid. Then there's the mysterious package that has shown up in the living room. Sent from a secret admirer, the gigantic gift isn't for Starfire. It's for Raven! And it comes with a massive flaming heart wrapped thorns. 

Written by Sholly Fisch with artwork by Dario Brizuela, this 2026 issue is based on the long running animated series from Cartoon Network. After a popular run with 2003's Teen Titans, which was much more serious and action packed in nature, Cartoon Network followed up with Teen Titans Go! in 2013. Using the same cast of voices and fairly similar character designs, the show was controversial amongst viewers. Some die hard fans of the Titans didn't like the new show's slapstick tone. Others were okay with the humor but they found the sing-along episodes rather annoying. 

This issue has none of the musical interlude, lots of laughs and subtle touches to nearly 60 years of Teen Titans legend and lore.

Cover by Brizuela and Franco Riesco.

Completing this review completes Task #37 (A work released in 2026) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Showcase Presents: Batgirl, Vol. 1 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

It's Spring of 1967. The novelty of ABC's live-action comic book, Batman, is beginning to wane. Producer William Dozier is desperate for a third season. Clocking in at 94 episodes, Batman is just inches away from the 100 episode golden parachute that will, at the time, guarantee that the show will live on in syndication. 

DC Comics is also hoping for a third season. The live action series starring Adam West and Burt Ward sparked a renewed interest in DC Comics, which had been seeing Marvel Comics nipping at their heels in recent years. Bat-mania had become the source of a licensing boom of everything from toy cars to trading cards for DC. 

The idea of a new character offered hope for that third season. During initial planning stages, editor Julius Schwartz suggested that the new character be female in order to attract new female viewers. Schwartz and Dozier agreed that the new character continues with the Bat theme of the show and be known as Batgirl. However, there had already been a Bat-Girl in the pages of Batman back in the 1950s and Schwartz had buried the character for being too corny. Thus a new Batgirl would need to be created.

Legend has it that it was William Dozier who decided that Batgirl would be Barbara 'Babs' Gordon, daughter of police commissioner Jim Gordon. After viewing a concept sketch of the new Batgirl by Carmine Infantino, Dozier optioned the character for use on the series and a 7-minute long intro pilot was filmed. Along with cutting the number of shows from twice per week to just one, ABC was excited with the new character and green-lit a third season.

Batgirl was to be portrayed by actress Yvonne Craig, a veteran of a pair of Elvis films. Dressed in a sparkling purple catsuit, Craig's Batgirl debuted first on the airwaves in the September 14th episode titled 'Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin.' In that episode's closing credits, sole ownership of Batgirl was attributed to DC Comics.

To build up hype, DC Comics introduced the new Batgirl in the pages of Detective Comics #359, albeit with a new origin story. Like in the intro pilot, the first main villain Batgirl tangles with is Killer Moth. However, instead of rescuing Batman and Robin from the fiend's cocoon trap, comic book Batgirl arrives on the scene stumbling upon Bruce Wayne being kidnapped by the foe while on her way to a costume ball dressed as a female version of the Caped Crusader. Good thing she knows judo and other methods of physical defense!

Despite being advised by Batman to hang up her cowl as it's not ladylike fighting crime and all that, Batgirl eventually becomes one of the Dynamic Duo's most trusted allies. But not before testing the romantic waters with Batman! Early on, Catwoman eyes Batgirl as a barrier to her affections with Batman, turning into a heroine in hopes of wooing the vigilante. Batman then recruits both Batgirl and Wonder Woman to pretend to fall head over heels in love for the hero, in a bizarre plot to trap the serpentine for, Copperhead. 

This book sees the foundation of a decades long relationship with perhaps her true love, Dick Grayson in a 2-part murder mystery with an Edgar Allan Poe theme. Soon after, a new paramour is introduced in Babs' life; the amateur sleuth Jason Bard. Gordon will solve crimes with the young man as both an expert librarian and as Batgirl. While Bard won't put 2-and-2 together that the two fiery redheads in his life are the same woman, an important person in Barbara's life will make the connection; her father, Jim Gordon. 

While investigating the murder of a Gotham City police officer, Batgirl uncovers a plot to murder the Commissioner by framing a known radical cop-hater. When a sniper sneaks up upon Gordon, Batgirl accidentally calls out a warning to 'Dad', leading the commissioner to deduce the true identity of Batgirl. A couple stories later, Barbara reveals her secret identity to dear old dad before taking his place as candidate for US Congress. 

When Babs wins the congressional race, it's assumed that Batgirl will go in retirement. However, a year later in the pages of Superman, of all places, Batgirl returns to save reporter Clark Kent from a Washington DC based spy ring. This massive volume of Showcase Presents ends with a Batgirl/Man of Steel reunion in Metropolis before Batgirl and her BFF, Supergirl team up for the fourth time to stop a girl claiming to be Cleopatra from becoming the new queen of the United States of America.

Had DC not shut down the fan favorite Showcase Presents line of reprints, fans would have gotten to see more of Batgirl's life in the nation's capitol before beginning a series of team-ups with Robin, now a college aged man. These Batgirl adventures would appear in the anthology title Batman Family before returning to the backup feature status in Detective Comics. With 1985's Crisis, Batgirl wasn't retconned. But her importance was lessened. Many of her adventures were now retooled to have taken place with Power Girl instead of Supergirl. 1988's The Killing Joke would redefine Barbara Gordon's importance in the Bat Family, when she's left a paraplegic from a bullet fired by the Joker. Now operating in the shadows, Babs would become Batman's eyes and ears as the tech-savvy Oracle before being granted the ability to walk once again thanks to an experimental surgery using nanobot implants.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #25 (With a Female Lead Character) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Adventures in Advent: Advent 2024, Day 17

If you've got $1,200, then today's featured Advent calendar is for you. It's the Swarovski Advent Calendar 2024 edition. An annual offering, this year's theme is a snowy journey on a holiday train; all in shining clear crystal. 

Boxed in a luxurious red Swarovski box with gold lettering and a red bow, the box opens like a book with windows numbered 1-25. Unlike a majority of the Advents I've researched for my posts, this Calendar has a present for you on Christmas Day. Based on the price, you ought to get enough prizes to cover the 12 days of Christmas that come about after December 25th! 

Recipients of this Advent are basically collecting 2 things: a 7 piece crystal choo-choo and a number of miniature ornaments complete with tiny ribbons for hanging. Not everything is just clear and colorless. Some of the ornaments have accents of green, red and brown. Items like the reindeer have black dots for eyes. The connectors on the train pieces have finishes of gold. 

Being made of crystal, this Advent is pretty hefty. It weighs over 7 pounds! Some of you can debate the price of this Advent being a negative. To me, the biggest disappointment is that the surprise of this Advent is ruined by a cheat sheet on the back of the box. So if you don't want to know what's in store, avoid the back of this Advent!

Detective Comics #627

From 1991, this deluxe sized issue commemorates the 600th appearance of the Dark Knight in Detective Comics. The idea of this issue is pretty novel. To begin, it reprints the very first story of which Batman appeared in Detective Comics #27. In a story titled 'The Case of the Chemical Syndicate', Bruce Wayne is alerted to the death of a pair of businessmen while accompanying Commissioner Gordon on a case. In the guise of the Bat-Man, the vigilante hero determines who the killer is, ushering forth a gritty sense of justice with dark undertones unparalleled in comicdom. 

Readers then are gifted with a reprint of a story from Batman's 30th anniversary appearance in Detective Comics (#387), circa 1968. Editor Julius Schwartz commissioned Mike Friedrich, Bob Brown and Joe Giella to retool that first appearance to reflect the more modern time period. This reboot includes Robin the Boy Wonder in a story that focuses on the generation gap, which was a subject that DC Comics seemed to have very little knowledge in. It's an odd tale in which Robin is sure that the son of one of the deceased is the killer' to the point that it's Batman who keeps a level head while the teen sidekick literally says 'Kids these days...'

There are 2 more stories in this anniversary issue. Both of which retell 'The Case of the Chemical Syndicate' to reflect the early 90s. The first story introduces a new character called Pesticyde. Unfortunately, it's the character's only appearance. But it was a darn good one! Written by Marv Wolfman, with art by Jim Aparo, it blows that 60s reboot out of the water!

90s retool #2 is a bit more complex. Half of the story focuses on Batman trying to solve the murders of those businessmen; half focuses on a drunken homeless man claiming that his buddies have been killed. You might think that the two plots have nothing to do with each other. Yet, Alan Grant does a masterful job stringing both story lines together. This story has some great art by Norm Breyfogle, who along with letterer Todd Klein, sneaks in the names of dozens of past Batman artists and writers. The cool thing about all this is how each matches the art style or signature of the creators. 

I'm co-leading a comic book club this school year. Our first assignment is to read a Batman comic book. Any Batman work is allowed. I was going to read an issue of Detective from 1970 that reprinted several of Batman and Robin's most unusual cases. Unfortunately the book was coming apart at the seams. At first I thought I had bought the book without a back cover. Then I saw that the missing section was still inside the bag. I then began seeing how the front cover and other back pages were beginning to peel as well. As much as I really wanted to read that book, I didn't want to bring it to school and let it get further damaged. Hopefully I'll read it sometime in the future. 

Detective #627 was an interesting experiment. It started in the 60s and continued 30 years later. I wonder if this test was ever continued in another anniversary issue? If yes, I'd be really interested in getting those issues if DC ever did. And if they haven't, maybe it's time to do it again! I'd buy it!

As much as I wanted to show my students an old comic book, I'll have to do with this book. Though if you were to ask those guys, they'd probably comment that 32 years of age is old. 

Sheesh...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Teen Titans Go! Undead (Family Comic Friday)

Get a crash course on how to survive a zombie apocalypse, Teen Titans Go! style.

When the skies over Jump City turn an eerie purple color, the Teen Titans investigate... by going to the mall. There, they discover that the population has all turned into zombies. Only there's no virus going around making everyone sick. It turns out that the shopping outlet has a big online sale today that is turning the citizens of Jump City, both alive and dead, into the dreaded 'Undead.' Oh, and that asteroid that came crashing down last night in the town square might also have something to do with it...

This 2022 graphic novel, while not a Halloween themed read, was a fun way to get into the spirit of the holiday. Teen Titans Go! is a Cartoon Network series that thrives on absurd humor, catchy oddball tunes, and being about as gross and irreverent as allowed for viewers aged 8-12, which is also the recommended reading ages for Teen Titans Go! Undead according to Amazon. Pretty much if parents and guardians let their wards watch the cartoon, then you'll have no issue with this graphic novel. But if your expecting this book to be an innocuous as Super Friends or Batman: The Animated Series, you've got another thing coming. Instead, Teen Titans Go! is like the DC Universe if crafted by the creator of Ren & Stimpy.

The book was perfect Teen Titans Go!, as long as you don't like the songs. The musical episodes have always been my least favorite and thankfully, there's only 1 song and it's mercifully short. There's not very much of the rest of the DC Universe in this book. There's like maybe 1 reference to Batman and a second to Darkseid and that's about it. But there's a whole slew of references to other supporting characters created for just the series. Oh, and a great gag involving Robin's rival over Starfire's affections, Speedy, as well as their arch-enemies, the dreaded teens of H.I.V.E..

I don't think that this book is an adaptation of a full-length episode or special. If it isn't, then this graphic novel should be adapted into a 5 day event for fans of the animated series. It's got the feel and pace of such a thing and it would make a fantastic entry in Cartoon Network's annual Halloween programming. I know it's too late to do for this year. But 2024??? Fingers crossed!

Lots of fun. Not scary. In fact, if anything, it pays tribute to the zombie horror genre while mocking it and making it seem about the most silly idea to end the world ever! But that's mostly due to the Teen Titans! For a fun-filled Halloween read that won't keep you up at night, Go!- to your local book store and demand a copy today!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Batman: Second Chances

Jason Todd. 

The second sidekick of the Dark Knight. One of the most controversial characters in comic book history. He's like the celery of DC Comics as you either love him or hate him... and most despise him!

I decided to give Jason Todd another look with the purchase of this collection of stories from the late 80s. Featuring writing by Max Allan Collins, Jim Starlin and Jo Duffy, Batman: Second Chances covers the retooled origin of the character that was sorely missing from his 1983 debut. And this is where I think a lot of readers hated Jason Todd. 

See, Jason just kinda got thrust on readers as being the new Robin in Batman #368 after having basically appeared in a couple of cameos nearly a year prior. Jason Todd was replacing Dick Grayson, whose role on the 1960s Batman TV series made the young ward a household name. Never mind the fact that Dick Grayson had moved on from being Batman's partner years before. Here's a kid replacing a legend. A youth who is a little cocky, a bit brash, and kinda rude taking over the role of America's favorite teen sidekick without so much as a thank you and it ticked fans off. 

I think DC Comics kinda realized that fans were unhappy with Jason Todd. So after Frank Miller's Batman: Year One storyline retooled the origins of Bruce Wayne for a more modern audience, Max Allan Collins sets his sights on giving Jason Todd a formal introduction into the Batman Family while giving readers the must desired reason for the fallout between the Caped Crusader and Dick Grayson. 

Though the title was never officialled renamed, editors rebranded the Caped Crusader's solo title as Batman: The New Adventures. Here we learn that during one of Batman's annual visits to Crime Alley, the area of Gotham in which Thomas and Martha Wayne were murdered, someone had the brass balls to steal the tires off of the Batmobile. The thief is none other than the orphan street rat, Jason Todd. 

Not even old enough to drive and this kid steals from the Batman! This kind of bravado impresses Batman. Working out a deal, Batman gets Jason set up with a halfway house. However, the program ends up being a front for organized crime a la Fagin and his pickpockets in Oliver Twist. Only much more violent. When that placement falls through, Bruce Wayne takes in Jason Todd and a new Boy Wonder is shortly christened. 

Despite a new origin and a blessing from Dick Grayson to Jason as being his heir appearant, time was short for the new Robin. By mid-1988, Jason's fate was left up to readers to call a 1-900 number to decide if the Joker would kill the new Boy Wonder in an explosion or merely mangle him a little. More readers called in to kill Jason Todd, beating out those who wanted to save him by less than 100 votes. I remember my house voted. But I don't remember if my dad was one of Jason's executioners or saviors. I know I wanted Robin to die. But my father often would do the opposite of what I wanted in his own Joker-like sadistic way...

Did Jason Todd really deserve all that hatred? Based on the stories in this book: no. Max Allan Collins and Jim Starlin do a decent job making him an agreeable sort of fellow. I'm guessing it's the Jason Todd from 1983-86 that got on reader's nerves and sent the lad into an early grave.

And sure- Jason Todd is back alive. It wouldn't be comic books if the characters didn't return from the beyond once and a while. This Jason who goes around as the ultra-violent Red Hood, is a fan favorite among many. Readers love how as the Red Hood, Jason Todd will cross lines that the rest of the Batman Family refuse to even toe. But me, I am a purist. I prefer Jason as a carefree kid, trying to make the best of a new life, even though on the other side of the comic book page, unknown readers were making plans to kill him. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Batman #413 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Batman has a new ward- the street smart orphan, Jason Todd. Slowly learning the ropes as the newest Robin, Jason is headstrong, impulsive and full of rage. However, in the early episode from Jason Todd's oh-so short stint as the Boy Wonder, it's the observational skills of the lad who helps Batman crack this bizarre case. 

A new exhibit is opening at the Gotham Metropolitan Museum. Focusing on artifacts from feudal Japan, a number of pieces including kimonos, swords and a suit of samurai armor have been donated from one of the last surviving members of the Tahara Clan. The Dark Knight suspects that members of Gotham's criminal elements will rob the exhibit and so Batman keeps vigilance over the museum. 

To everyone's surprise, the exhibition isn't robbed. Instead, it's haunted by the ghost of fallen Japanese warrior, Masahiko Tahara! Now it's up to Batman and his brand-new Robin to get to the bottom of a mystery on par with something you'd expect from Scooby-Doo and the teen detectives of Mystery Inc.

'The Ghost of Masahiko Tahara' was written by Jo Duffy. Duffy has first appeared in the pages of Marvel comics in the early 70s as a frequent contributor to the letter cols of various publications. She then appeared as a cameo character in the pages of Iron Man #103 (Oct. 1977), before eventually earning her first credit as an editor for Defenders #61 (July 1978). 

Duffy's first writing credits including Daredevil, Defenders and Marvel-Two-In-One before taking on her longest and perhaps most well known stint as the writer of Power Man and Iron Fist. During this time, Duffy also penned a number of issues of Star Wars and Conan the Barbarian thanks in part to her duties as Archie Goodwin's assistant. 

During a time when Marvel was experimenting with a darker tone, Jo Duffy was a refreshing blast of light-hearted stories that harkened back to the days of Stan and Jack. She was also known to pepper her stories with doses of sarcastic humor that often hid a back-handed compliment or two. Maybe that's one reason why she paired brilliantly with Steve Ditko on some of the last issues of the short-lived Speedball series about a teen boy who turns hyper-kinetic whenever he experiences too much force.

Batman #413 was written during Jo Duffy's brief first stint with DC. In the early 90s, Duffy penned stories for Dark Horse and Image before returning to DC where she penned the first 14 issue's of Catwoman. In the mid-90s, Duffy was the screenwriter for the 4th and 5th movie in the Puppet Master horror franchise before returning to the House of Ideas in 2000. 

Jo Duffy's last writing credits are from 2003-2006, writing English script adaptations for Viz Media's Naruto. In 2007, Duffy took a job as a receptionist for the U.S. Immigration Office in New York. The writer had for some time made announcements to create her own self-published comics under the banner of Armin Armadillo Publishers. While Duffy did incorporate a company under that name in 2008, as of press time of this review, that is as far as that vision has preceded.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #15 (Comic Book Written by a Female) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Teen Titans Go! to Camp! (Family Comic Friday)

It's Summer time and the Teen Titans are going to camp- on Apokolips! But the heroes of Jump City won't be going alone. The twisted teens of the H.I.V.E. Five and the ideal junior heroes of Titans East will also be spending their Summer vacation with the Teen Titans on Darkseid's home world.

The youngsters' activities will be planned by the director of Camp Apokolips, Granny Goodness. Their camp counselors are Kalibak and Mad Harriet! Their lunch consists of several dishes made of various bugs. Their swimming hole is a lava pit. And the rumor around the ol' campfire is that unlucky campers will be eaten by the Terrifying Beast of the Pit!

As usual, Raven, Beast Boy, Starfire and Cyborg are trying to make the best of a bad situation. As for Robin, he's got it in his head that the title of Camper of the Year is his to win. Only, there's no such award at Camp Apokolips. Instead, those campers who survive this 6 week ordeal will find themselves as the newest troopers in Darkseid's army!

This 2020 graphic novel was hilarious! It felt like it should have been a movie! In fact, if DC ever decides to bring TTG back to the silver screen, this is the plot that they should use for inspiration! Mixing the zany members of the Teen Titans, H.I.V.E. 5 and the straight-laced Titans East with the residents of Kirby's Fourth World was just so fun to someone like myself who is a huge fan of the New Gods! 

The great Sholly Fisch (Scooby-Doo Team-Up) pens this awesome script. I didn't know that he was a child psychologist until I read the'About the Author' section in the back of this book. But that fact explains why it feels like Fisch can write from children while not dumbing things down for the enjoyment of adults. 

The main illustrator of this book is DC Super Hero Girl's Marcelo DiChiara. The artist does a fantastic job making every main panel look like it was ripped straight from my TV set- set to Cartoon Network, of course! 

Each chapter ends with one of the main characters writing a loved one back home. The artwork for those segments are by a host of great talent including Franco, Jamal Igle, and 3rd generation member of the Kubert art clan, Emma! Each artist adds their own deft touch to the story. You see their art style and a little bit of tribute to both Jack Kirby and Teen Titans legends Nick Cardy and George Perez.

I did not want this book to end. I had a great time reading it. It combined my love for Jack Kirby, comic book nostalgia and zany comedy. Kids who are fans of TTG will love this book because it captures the spirit of the animated series perfectly. Adults will love it because it reminds them of classic DC lore. But also because it's a wholesome read that stimulates that imagination of young readers everywhere!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

DC Super-Heroes Post Cereal Superheroes Collection, Vol. 1: 1979 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

1979 was a banner year for DC Comics fans who liked Post Cereals. If you were a regular fan of Alpha-Bits, Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles, or several other sugary treats, you could have instantly won one of thousands of great prizes including superhero themed kites and flying discs, bicycles, or a trip to Hollywood California. But the thing every kid wanted in these boxes of cereal were the free mini-comics!

Post Cereals offered 4 different books. They starred Batman (with Robin, the Boy Wonder), Superman, Wonder Woman and a group adventure including Aquaman! Each book was 16 pages in length but they didn't look like comic books. Instead of looking like a tabloid, these books were oblong in shape. Measuring 4.5"x3.5", each page had only 2 panels going from left to right. They kinda resemble an old fashion map atlas. 

As with most promotional giveaways of the day and age, no artist or writer credits are given. But the covers all look like the work of the amazing Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, who was DC's go-to promotional art guy during this time. It also could have been Dick Giordano who assisted with such projects when Garcia-Lopez was swamped, and had an art style that matched well with him. Giordano also inked a lot of Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez's promotional projects, so it could have been both!

As for the interior artwork, I just am not sure. The Superman story looks like it was taken from stills of the Super Friends cartoons that ran in various incarnations from 1973-85. Unfortunately, the story didn't match the quality of the artwork despite an assist from Lex Luthor as the issue's antagonist. 

The best story was a rodeo romp pitting the Dynamic Duo versus the Penguin of all people! With nothing remotely bird related, this caper was very un-Pengy-like and quite refreshing. The Wonder Woman story pitted the Princess of Themyscira against her arch-enemy, the Cheetah in a typical cat-burglary story. Story #4 had the DC Trinity teaming up. Aquaman is also in the story. But in typical time period fashion, Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman have to save the king of Atlantis from a space alien who wants to make the underwater hero an exhibit at his planet's zoo.

I recently got to read all 4 books without having to pay an average of $30 per mini-book. And how was that possible you might ask? It's all thanks to Trident Studios. DC Super-Heroes Post Cereal Superheroes Collection, Vol. 1: 1979 is the Etsy seller's latest unauthorized collection of mini-books. Taken from the books of the seller's personal collection, there are a few blemishes related to the original print. But the colors are vibrant and rich and the images are ultra-clean. Once again, this collection is 50% larger than the originals, for minimum print requirements. Yet, this is actually not a bad thing for those adult readers who might need readers...

There are 3 sets in the entire Post Collection. The cereal company ran a second run of mini-books in 1980. A little later on, Canadian Post cereals offered a set of minis that included the likes of Supergirl and The Flash. Interested fans can purchase all 3 sets combined on Etsy and individually on eBay. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #37 (A Book You Didn't Know Existed) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Robin Annual #7 (2007)

I've had this book in my collection for probably a decade and it wasn't until 2 days ago I learned that it was a Halloween themed comic! The database I use for organizing my collection has been lacking in updating its new releases; thus I've been rushing to create my own personal log just in case the website shuts down. That new inventory is how I came to learn that this annual was holiday themed.

There are 2 stories inside. The first book is set at Halloween. A serial killer is targeting the members of a Gotham City family. Due to the surgical skill of the murderer along with the way the entrails have been removed, the media have dubbed this fiend as 'The Great Pumpkin.' (Thanks a lot Detective Harvey Big Mouth!) Working solo, the Tim Drake Robin has tasked himself with finding the killer before the whole family meets a grisly end. 

The back-up story, featuring the Damian Wayne Robin, is set in Japan during the Obon Festival: also called the Festival of Ghosts. Obon is held on July 15th. But that doesn't mean that this eerie ghost tale isn't appropriate for the build up to All Hallow's Eve. Setting up the 'Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul' storyline, after being drugged by a crazed elderly man, Damian wakes up in a cemetery, facing a horde of ghosts. 

I really liked the opening story. It's a good crime thriller in the vein (pardon the pun) of Thomas Harris' Silence of the Lambs. The villain is great though I am mighty disappointed to learn that after 15 years of their first appearance, the killer has never returned to print even though writer Keith Champagne (Stranger Things) really sets up a return.

I was also a fan of the artwork by Derec Donovan (Nick Fury's Howling Commandos). It had an animated quality. Not quite like the 1990s animated Batman series. But close enough to find it really visually appealing. 

I also liked the artwork of the secondary story by Jason Pearson (Body Bags). But that was about all of this story I liked. Pearson crafts the ghosts in this story to look like traditional Japanese spirits and demons. That sort of touch I greatly admired. But how often is it that I want the bad guys to win???

See, this story involves Damian Wayne during his infancy in the DC Universe having debuted as a teen just a year earlier. Well man, is this version of the son of Batman a total a-hole! Sure, in the current day, Damian is arrogant, rude and spoiled rotten. But in this story, I want to hurt him personally. He's that insufferable. 

The overall issue was rather good with one of the main characters being a huge dick (and I'm not talking Grayson!). The coolest thing about everything else is that I've got a new Halloween book in my collection that I didn't have to pay for! 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Detention Comics #1

I'm heading into my third week of the new school year. In celebration or maybe a moment of blessed relief, I dug through my long boxes to give this back to school special a read.

Detention Comics is comprised of 3 stories starring the Tim Drake Robin, the Connor Kent Superboy and Guy Gardner during his stint as Warrior. For a 1996 one-shot, it's not quite your typical DC stuff. All three stories are more morality plays than gritty action adventures that have been dosed with too much testosterone. In fact, in the Superboy story, not a single punch, kick or threat is heaved in the entire thing! But let's start with Robin, since his was the opening story.

A schoolmate of Tim Drake's is being bullied- by his overbearing mother! Constantly cut from team after team, the teen finally snaps and decides to get payback against the family of the high school's head coach.

With Superboy, he's on the beaches of Hawaii trying to impress some coeds when truant officer Mack Harlin arrives to spoil the fun. It appears to be a battle of brains versus brawn. But then all bets are off when Harlin wins over the babes with his recitation of Shakespeare's sonnets.

Lastly, former teacher, Guy Gardner has been called into his former high school stomping grounds to evaluate whether the troubled institute should remain open or be turned into a mini mall. In a remake of The Substitute, which was also from '96, Guy plays the role of Tom Berenger when a trio of metahuman teens seeks revenge on a brilliant student while setting the school ablaze!

Okay, that last story sounds a little like a typical 1990s DC Comics story. But it was so full of cliches and really preachy. It read like some of the Teen Titans stuff from the 1960s and 70s in terms that whomever wrote it (Ruben Diaz, Martian Manhunter: American Secrets) didn't know how to relate to teenagers. Plus, as a teacher myself, I don't appreciate stories that paint schools as dead end hell holes. True, there's a couple of schools in the area that I don't think you could pay me enough money to teach at. But I don't think of them as helpless cases either.

The Robin story was the best of the bunch. It's interesting, and maybe even a little odd, to read a tale from Drake's early days in which he's so unprepared. I've always thought of Tim Drake as the ultimate Robin. Yet, here, he's a floundering duckling without Batman or Alfred to back him up. 

As for the Superboy story... Geez, was he really that corny back then? I'm used to a less assured Connor Kent who seems to feel out of place being a clone and also a half-Luthor clone at that. 

Oh, and having Guy Gardner turned into some sort of mutating alien arsenal. That's pretty odd. I'm glad that plot idea was retconned. Please, somebody tell that was retconned?!

For a themed one-shot, I was entertained. However, the book wasn't written for youths. And if it was, the writers, with the exception of Denny O'Neill (Detective Comics) don't seem able to write for younger audiences. I loved the logo of this one-shot. The homage to the classic Detective Comics logo done as a chalkboard was eye-catching. It obviously did it's job as it was a big part of what enticed me to buy this book.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Batman and Robin and Howard (Family Comic Friday)

Being born and raised as a member of the League of Assassins has been a real setback to Damian Wayne when it comes to crime-fighting. He lacks the human element needed to distinguish a car burglar from a family who accidentally locked their keys inside their car. Damian is also just too competitive; not just with others but himself as well. Thanks to his mother Talia and grandpa R'as Al Ghul, 2nd place is considered 1st loser.

To get a better grasp on social graces, Bruce Wayne benches Damian and enrolls his son into a new school, Metro Gotham Academy. The BMOC at Metro is Howard. He's the smartest kid in class. The best player on the school soccer team. And he's beloved by students and teachers alike. But with the appearance of Damian Wayne on campus, Howard's favored student status is in serious jeopardy.

Meanwhile, Batman has gone missing. The soccer teams of all the local schools, except for Damian's old school and Metro, have been vandalized. On the trail of seemingly the Joker, Riddler or even Poison Ivy, Batman finds himself stuck in his most unbreakable prison ever- the utility closet of a middle school gymnasium! 

With Batman lost, Damian is anxious to find his dad. But he can't do it alone. And Alfred is refusing to let Damian go out patrolling in costume alone. Can Damian reveal to his arch-rival Howard in hopes of finding Batman and ending a soccer themed crime wave? 

This was another DC Kids graphic novel that I've been looking forward to for quite some time. And thanks to my local library, I was able to finally get my hands on it. Written and illustrated by Family Comic Family Jeffrey Brown (Star Wars: Jedi Academy), this was a fun read. I thought Damian was portrayed spot-on as he's been in the comics. Only maybe a little less arrogantly. This is a kids book, ya know.

I liked the new character of Howard and his school. I liked how one of the students are portrayed as disabled and yet the book does make a big, patronizing deal about it. It just was. Like how those with disabilities want to be treated: as a part of the group.

What I wasn't a fan of was how Brown portrays Batman. If you haven't figured things out, this Batman is kinda a buffoon. Having the Caped Crusader be aloof, like an out of touch dad is fine for its comedic effect. But having Batman be so dumb he can't break out of a middle school locker room just isn't Batman.

A great read that was goofy. Just some parts were better than others. And be sure to read through very end of the book for a special double-page secret scene!

I'd be okay with a sequel or two, regardless of how goofy the Dark Knight was in this book!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Batman & Scooby-Doo! Mysteries #2 (Family Comic Friday)

I got behind this week. As a result, I'm digging into my stack of books I haven't had a chance to review for today's Family Comic Friday. 

I'm going to a personal fav for this one. It's got Batman. It's got Scooby-Doo. And it's got mysteries galore! Let's take a look at an early issue of The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries.

In this issue, a ghost has taken up residence inside the Batcave. Could a real spirit have been unleashed into the Dark Knight's inner sanctum? Or even worse- has somebody discovered the location of the Caped Crusader's secret lair? With Scooby-Doo and Mystery Inc. on the scene, plus Robin, Batman will get to the bottom of this mystery for sure!

The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries is a 12-issue maxi-series. It's solidly in the vein of a previous favorite series of mine- Scooby-Doo Team-Up. Only we explore the long history of Mystery Inc. and the Batman Family. In the first issue, Scooby and the gang went back in time to the days of just before Bruce Wayne became Batman. While it had a bunch of 1950s era Batman nostalgia, it was lacking something. 

While I still haven't figured out everything issue #1 was missing, I did put my finger on one thing. The great Sholly Fisch was not the writer of that premier offering. Thankfully, Fisch is back. But regular team-up art partner Dario Brizuela isn't. Yet, with the art of Randy Elliott, it's an adequate substitute. Elliott has the mystery gang down pat having illustrated many, many issues of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?. His Batman is classic DC. Robin looks more like Bruce Timm's version from Batman: The Animated Series. It was all very good.

I also liked the twist to this story. It felt very Batman '66. I don't want to ruin the surprise but I think Randy Elliott spoiled it with the cover. I just won't dig too deep into the Joker's role in this clever detective comic. 

While there are only 2 issues left in this series to hit store shelves, a Volume 1, collecting issues 1-6, is currently available. If the young reader if your life hated to see Scooby-Doo Team-Up disappear, this is the replacement series you've been needing. I just hope when this series ends that another round of Scooby parings will be forthcoming in comics form real soon!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents World's Finest Volume 2

The first volume to collect the Superman/Batman team-ups from the pages of World's Finest had many flaws. Silly plots that repeated frequently. A pesky Lois Lane trying to determine if Clark Kent really is Superman. Aliens. My god, the aliens! Those blemishes, I could overlook. But the one thing I couldn't forgive was that there weren't any Jimmy Olsen stories in that collection!

Volume 2 starts to dip it's toe into the various Robin & Jimmy Olsen Vs. Superman/Batman stories. We only get 2 or 3 such tales. But it's better than nothing!

The inclusion of Jimmy Olsen added a level of complexity to the World's Finest universe. Before the inclusion of Superman's Pal, the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader would often pass Robin off like a child visiting divorced relatives seemingly every other issue. The Boy Wonder ended up being a major third wheel. Now with Jimmy Olsen, it's like Robin's got a playmate. 

Sadly, my volume ended. But there's a volume 3 and 4. Yes, both are OOP. But I am on the hunt. There's so many great adventures awaiting me. Plus, we start to curve away from the various alien invader capers which work fine for Superman. But Batman just seems out of his element in those sci-fi romps.

Tons of fun that promises to get even better!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents World's Finest, Volume 1

Presenting some of the most off-the-wall adventures starring the Man of Steel, the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder. Aliens, love-sick dames, giant robots and rather unusual new teammates to the trio of heroes make up the list of opponents faced by the World's Finest. 

This black and white collection also contains the first ever meeting between Batman and Superman from the pages of Superman. The original Batwoman, Kathy Kane, attempts to shatter the glass ceiling in competition with Batman and The Man of Tomorrow. Lastly, in an all-time classic, The Joker and Lex Luthor join forces against their arch-enemies.

But where's Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen? The cub reporter was an integral part of the World's Finest issues of my father's that I used to read by the literal trunk-load as a kid. Jimmy and Robin would often have a generational gap competition in the pages of this DC Comics team-up. Not having the ginger teen in these stories is just rather weird to me. Perhaps he'll pop up in volume 2...

One unforgivable disappointment is the overuse of plots. Yes, with comic books, being nearly a century old, it's nearly impossible to not reuse plot lines. But to have so many repeat plot lines less than a year apart in time; things got predictable quick. Maybe if I was a reader in the mid-1950s approaching these as they were published on a bi-monthly basis, I wouldn't have noticed the lack of imagination. But I doubt it.

Still, this was a great collection of 1950s DC stories. Their naive optimism was a nice transition from the bleakness of the Atomic Knight and Great Disaster stories that I had been reading prior to this archive of Golden Age works.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Batman Arkham: The Riddler

It only took 2 issues for the Riddler to return after his debut in 1948. Yet, it was almost 20 years before the man born as Edward Nigma would return to perplex Batman and Robin. Just in time for being the first villain to appear on the live-action Batman series from 1966!

This is a fantastic collection of Riddler stories. Many of which I've never read before. A lot of folks think that The Joker is the best Batman villain. And while the Clown Prince of Crime is his most deadliest rival, I think that it's the Riddler who is Batman's most cunning, most cerebral and most infuriating. 

I think that Batman looks at Joker as a side project. Someone to try and cure. I feel that it's Riddler who really gets up in Batman's crawl because the two are just so much alike. Both are detectives. Batman uses his brains to solve the crimes. It's Riddler who uses his intellect to craft those crimes. And for a very brief, but fun time, Riddler was also a real deal detective, playing private investigator for cash and glory.

There's two amazing stories in which Batman and Riddler are forced to team-up. While I thought that ending to both stories was contrived, the build-up was this awesome buddy-cop thing that had some great one-liners. (It's here where you really see E.Nigma rubbing the Dark Knight the wrong way, like a wedgie from Hell.)

I loved this collection of stories that feature art and stories from a fantastic line-up of talent including Bill Finger, Dick Sprang, Gardner Fox, Jim Aparo, Paul Dini and Scott Snyder. Featuring stories from every era of Batman comics, you get a perfect, yet incomplete glimpse into the psyche of one of the greatest Batman foes of all-time.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Robin #5

The Tim Drake Robin’s training culminates with his final show down with the big boss crime lord that Lady Shiva’s been wanting to take down for the length of this entire series. But, Robin’s got his work cut out for him as this baddie is blind and has super heighten senses, especially hearing, to make up for his handicap.

A fantastic ending to a really good series. Robin takes a little while to find his wings, yet as with all birds, it just takes a little push to get a youngling flying.

With the myriad of teachers and training Tim Drake has encountered in this mini-series, you almost have to wonder “Did Batman set this whole thing up from the very beginning?”

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Robin #4

Well, I was right. This issue has Robin learning the ropes from Lady Shiva. We also see the origins of why this Robin uses a staff and a bolo caster.

The art’s gotten better and is on par with the writing. This issue also features another fantastic Brian Bolland cover.

I am so glad I’ve stuck with this mini-series. It’s only gotten better as the issues (and tensions) mount.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.