Faculty Funnies #1 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

In the late 1980s, Archie Comics revisited the Riverdale superheroes concept. Only this time, it was the teachers and staff of Riverdale High School that became empowered.

When Archie's science experiment explodes, several members of the faculty gain superpowers based on skills they've developed over their careers. Thanks to years of writing across a lengthy blackboard, Ms. Grundy's right arm becomes super-stretchy. Coach Clayton, develops super breath, thanks to his persistence with a P.E. whistle. His sneezes can also stun a criminal! Principle Weatherbee develops clairvoyance due to years of anticipating problems that arise within the realms of public education. Rounding out the group is Professor Flutesnoot, who became nigh invulnerable thanks to decades of suffering through exploding science experiments.

The four faculty members decide to become a superteam. Grundy sews up a quartet of very itchy wool costumes and the staff of Riverdale High become known as the Awesome Foursome. Their first adventure uncovers a plot in which the town's criminal underground seems to increase the crime rate through subliminal messages implanting in discount video tapes rented to Archie and his friends. 

George Gladir scripted with art by Stan Goldberg. Rudy Lapick inked. While not billed as a miniseries, Faculty Funnies was not intended to be a new regular title. The concept came to a planned end with issue #5, seeing the teachers losing their special abilities and realizing that being an educator who cared as their true super powers. 

The book was filled with the usual one-page gags and short stories; this time around starring other members of the RHS faculty. Gladir crafted a one-pager featuring the former drill Sargent turned Assistant Principal, Mr. Howitzer. Hal Smith wrote the 2-page filler starring the oft flummoxed Miss Haggly. And yes, that's the same Hal Smith who played town drunk Otis on The Andy Griffith Show! Again, the art in both was provided by Stan Goldberg with inks by Lapick. The pair also crafted the cover to this issue.

A fun, and at times silly comic of which I wouldn't mind having the other issues to round out a complete run.

Completing this review completes Task #26 (An Archie Comics release from the 1980s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Spider-Man Holiday Spectacular #1

Marvel decided to make Spider-Man the headliner for their 2025 holiday special and I think that was a brilliant idea. Working with high schoolers and middle school students as well, I can attest that the wall crawler in all of his many forms is extremely popular. Actually, I think I referred to it as 'absurdly popular' because I am seeing girls of all ages and races wearing Spidey shirts, hats and bookbags! I've never seen an across the board popularity of a superhero like this before. 

So I think I have established that Spider-Man is having a moment.

In this one-shot, Peter Parker is planning on spending a nice, quiet Christmas with his Aunt May. However, she's unexpectedly booked herself on a cruise, leaving Parker with nobody to share the season with. Almost immediately, he finds himself being asked by any and everyone in the Marvel universe to spend Christmas with them. Parker thinks they're all feeling sorry for him. However, Wolverine lets it slip that the invites aren't out of pity. Instead, everyone is fighting for the privilege to give Peter Parker the best Christmas ever!

Spider-Man is the heart and soul of Marvel Comics. There's no doubt about that. Written by Rainbow Rowell, this was a brilliant way to showcase the rest of the Marvel Universe, that is probably grossly overlooked by all but the most discerning of comic book fans, while featuring Marvel's most popular character. Sadly, as today's youngster isn't buying comics, I question how much of an impact having Spidey as the star of this holiday showcase is going to make on readership among those 13-21. As the advisor for the comic book club at the high school that I teach at, I just don't think it's going to move the needle that much, if at all. 

But of all the 2025 season holiday releases, this one might have been the best. It was heartfelt. It was festive. It was classic Spider-Man, with a perfect ending, set in the modern era. I loved it!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Absolutely Everything You Need To Know (A Madman Re-Read)

I've been re-cataloging my comic book collection into a new, hopefully more dependable database. It's been a lengthy, often times tedious, process. Going into my second year of working on this project, I've begun focusing on my graphic novels. That's how I came across this book for a re-read. (And yes, I know that this book is NOT a graphic novel.)

My first read was back in 2017. So a lot of the factoids I previously glossed over, had been essentially forgotten. Especially a lot of the more recent stuff. The more established lore of the heart and soul of the Marvel Universe, I pretty much know like the back of my hand. So I felt I'd benefit from a second glance at Absolutely Everything You Need To Know. True, this book is almost a decade old, published in 2016. That means there's a lot of material that's not even covered here like the coming of America Chavez, Spider-Gwen and Gwenpool. You will not learn about 'The Reckoning War', 'Extreme Carnage' or 'The Death of Doctor Strange.' Readers shouldn't even expect recent anthropomorphic fan favorites Alligator Loki and Jeff, the Land Shark here. 

DK did release an update. But that was in 2019! There's just too much newer stuff that won't be found in this book. If you're a newer reader of comics, you'll learn a lot about the foundation of Marvel Comics. If you're a more established reader looking to get caught up on what you've been missing in recent years, you are out of luck. And I would say that it's not just 2016-present that you will miss out of of you read this edition. I feel like the years 1995-2010 were just glossed over. Deadpool is barely even mentioned. Same goes for Blade, Ghost Rider and even your favorite team of mutants. Yes, the X-Men, arguably Marvel's most popular franchise, only get 4 pages out of over 250+ focused on their exploits. It really feels like the Avengers are the Star attractions of this book.

Avengers heavy exploits such as 'the Civil War,' 'the Age of Ultron' and 'Secret Invasion' are given a prominent place inside. Be glad the authors and editors included those episodes here. Without them, I don't think Wolverine or She-Hulk would even be mentioned in this book. I've not read the reissue of this book. But I'm hoping that instead of trying to revise the information in the first print, DK would have made the 2nd edition more of a compendium of overlooked characters and recent Marvel events. 

Also, despite this book focusing on alternate Earth's and timelines, you will not find anything on Marvel's impressive backlog of comics based on licensed franchises such as Star Wars, GI Joe or Transformers. 

Once again, my biggest peeve with this book was the format. I appreciate that they tried really hard to jam pack as much information and factoids into every 2-page feature. But I hated how they formatted it. Some paragraphs would be printed sideways. The data flow had no set pathway. Everything was so random, I'm pretty sure I missed something. 

Some 2-page spreads were entirely flipped on a 90 degree axis. Instead of reading about the history of Thor and Loki like you would hold a traditional book, their article was formatted in such a way that you had to read it like you were looking at a Playboy Playmate centerfold. I'm so very glad when I got to those segments of the book that my wife didn't assume that I was looking at some dirty pictures of the Invisible Woman or something. 

I enjoyed the read. Lots of knowledge to be gleaned. An amazing assortment of thrilling artwork from over 80 years of Marvel Comics history. Though trying to navigate it was like walking through a labyrinth without a map, a torch and assurance that the Minotaur isn't secretly about to pounce on you. I think it's time to pass this on to another reader. I just hope that the used bookstore that I am gonna trade this in at doesn't think that it's a reference book that is too out of date for readers.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel

Many comic book collectors and fans consider Kingdom Come to be Alex Ross' best work. I like that possible future of the DC Universe. But it's not my favorite of his. I absolutely adore the Alex Ross/Kurt Busiek collaboration from 1994 known simply as Marvels. It follows the span of the Marvel Universe through the eyes of a human newspaper photographer trying to make sense of a world full of superheroes and villains.

So how in the world did I miss Ross' 2020-21 follow up, Marvel? 

Well, for one thing, I'm sure it had something to do with the pandemic. As much 'free time' as I supposedly had as a teacher having to go virtual, I did very little reading. I did even much less comic book shopping. During the pandemic, I had to attend so many useless Zoom meetings that should have been emails because the high ups in my district were terrified of being accused of not doing anything by political detractors. Plus, my anxiety was at such an all-time high, I had trouble focusing on reading. 

But once the pandemic was over and we all started exiting our homes like Punxsutawney Phil looking for his shadow, how did it still take me 4 years to discover this book? A very recent chance trip to Ollie's helped me to find this trade paperback for a very good deal. (If you're in the Durham NC area, there's still a couple dozen volumes of this book if you like to save money like I do.)

Marvel is what Alex Ross originally envisioned Marvels to be. It's an anthology unencumbered by the scope of current Marvel canon. An assortment of creators were to craft stories of their favorite characters in situations as realistic or far fetched as the imagination could reach. No timeline was off limits. Past, present, future or even alternate timeline was a possibility for the tales to be contained. Ultimately, Marvel Comics passed on this project, citing it to be an idea just too lofty for a relative newcomer in the comic book industry to tackle. So Ross put the idea back on the shelf, teamed up with Kurt Busiek and Marvel Comics history was made! (Made ironically by exploring Marvel Comics history.)

Jump forward to the approach of the 25th anniversary of Marvels. The House of Ideas approached Ross for a follow-up to the ground breaking mini. A couple of sequels, including a dark timeline 2-parter had already been done. Ross didn't really want to go back to that storyline. So he pulled deep into his portfolio and dusted off his original plans for Marvels. This time the editors whole-heartedly agreed to the miniseries.

The various stories that make up Marvel is framed with a Doctor Strange epic throughout the 6 issues of the mini. The demon Nightmare has placed the entire Marvel Universe into a deep sleep. His plan is to become the most powerful entity in the universe by drawing upon the hopes, fears and dreams of the heroes, villains and deities of the 616 Universe!

There's a ton of adventures in this book. Too many to give proper attention to. So I'll focus on just a trio of my favs. 

Alan Weiss explores an early adventure of Prince Namor set in the early days of the second World War. He's asked to infiltrate a new underwater mega-structure to determine if its a refuge for the wealthy hoping to avoid the coming global holocaust or is secretly an Axis underwater base. It's a story that shows a much more swashbuckling Sub-Mariner as opposed to the snobbish ruler of Atlantis that we know of today. Very thrilling and completely unexpected.

Speaking of unexpected, in a futuristic story set after 'The War of the Worlds', we see the apocalyptic gladiator games that Killraven was forced to compete in would be like if they were populated by super-heroic survivors of the alien invasion of Earth. I won't spoil the surprise of who makes it to the games. But it's an idea that if Marvel ever decided to expand on, I would making it a part of my pull list in a heartbeat. Featuring dynamic story and artwork by Daniel Acuna.

My choice for third is a tie. That's because we get a pair of stories starring my favorite non-superhero member of the Marvel Universe: Nick Fury. Adam Hughes crafts a Sgt. Fury story set at the very tail end of WW2. Greg Smallwood designed a whirlwind look at the Steranko era of Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD. Both were bookend looks at a fantastic character that to choose one over the other would be like a father picking a favorite child. 

This collection was tons of fun. The unexpected ending was both bizarre and yet perfectly fitting. Marvel might have supposed to have been a celebration of 1994's Marvels but by story's end, it wound up being a love story to Timely, Atlas and Marvel Comics and the influence it has made on American pop culture history!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Adventures in Advent, Advent 2024, Day 23

If you've been a regular reader of my blog, then you'll know that I support endeavors that encourage children to read. You probably have also gathered that I love comic books and superheroes. One of my all-time favorite quotes about the importance of reading and how comic books can be used as such a tool for kids is by LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow and Star Trek: The Next Generation Fame.

I feel like today's Advent really plays into the importance of reading and how the interest in subjects is vital if you want children to enjoy reading. It's the Marvel Storybook Collection Advent from Autumn Publishing. The calendar features 24 miniature storybooks recommended for readers 5-8 years of age. Each book is 24 pages long and features characters such as Spider-Man, The Guardians of the Galaxy and Fin Fang Foom! 

I recognize some of these titles from being listed in the past on the Midtown Comics website for sale in regular storybook size. Those titles retail for about $10 a piece. As this advent sells for $16.99, that's a tremendous value if you don't mind that these are smaller books. I know if I was a kid, I sure as heck wouldn't. They remind me of the tiny Little Golden Books that were readable complete tinier versions of the regular sized classics. And they had a gold string in order to hang on your tree as an ornament. 

I would have liked if these books were also ornaments. With a trusty hot glue gun and some ribbon, you could make that a DIY project with your child, if you like. What I'd really would have liked is for all 24 books to have been holiday themed. Alas, none of them are. Still, if your child is obsessed with the Marvel Universe don't let my opinion stop you from using this as a reading tool and a Countdown to Christmas 2025. Buy it now and be ready for when December 1st rolls back around next year!

The Impossible Man Summer Vacation Spectacular

Way back in issue #175 of the Fantastic Four (October, 1976, to be exact), Galactus devoured Poppup, the home planet of that interplanetary pest, the Impossible Man. As a result, after a really bad case of indigestion, the life essence of Galactus was transferred to the Impossible Man who cloned himself a wife and a whole slew of kids. They then choose to wander the stars as refugees about the world devourer's ship.

In this summer special from 1990, the Impossible Man and the fam are rather bored. So they take leave of Galactus' spacecraft to have a fun-filled vacation on planet Earth! That means none of the superheroes OR super-villains of the Marvel Universe are safe from inter-dimensional hijinks, pranks and overall tomfoolery. Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Quasar and even Doctor Doom will rue the day they meet the first (and only) family of Poppup. 

This overall Summer special was a fun read crafted by a number of talents such as Roy Thomas, Jackson 'Bruce' Guice and Ron Marz. The Doctor Strange segment, which co-starring one of my favorite characters from that part of the Marvel Universe, Rintrah, was probably my favorite section of the book. Though the extremely unexpected pairing of the Impossible Man with the Punisher, complete with an entry from his war journal was a hoot. It was written and illustrated by Jim Valentino, who is such a master at skewering the superhero dynamic. I would pay good money if Marvel ever came up with an Impossible Man/Punisher special. Especially would love it in Valentino crafted that one-shot as well.

The Impossible Man Summer Vacation Spectacular might be almost 35-years old. But it's not something that will break the bank either. I got it a couple of years ago out of a bargain bin and I'm seeing it for less than $12 bucks online at several online retailers. Lots of laughs and a very fun way to beat the summer heat.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Mighty Crusaders, Vol. 1

I'm a big fan of MLJ/Archie's Red Circle line of heroes. They're just so darn difficult to find. Their golden and silver age books are ultra rare and too expensive for my wallet. The bronze age titles weren't massive sellers and so there's not a lot of those issues floating around. In the 90s, DC had the rights to them and touted them as !mpact Comics, only to be brought down once more by poor sales. (I'm doing pretty good at collecting these ubiquitous dollar bin floppies.) Then there's the modern age stuff. Why didn't anybody tell me that there was modern day Red Circle books out there?

Under the imprint Dark Circle, Ian Flynn and Kelsey Shannon linked together every incarnation of the Red Circle heroes in this 4-issue miniseries from 2017. It's been a couple of years after the last version of the Mighty Crusaders disbanded after the colossal battle with longtime Crusaders enemy, the Brain Emperor. Friends died in the conflict. Public support for heroes waned. Communities rebuilt. But now with the return of a second generation of super-villains, Joe Higgins, now referred to as the Broken Shield believes that the time for another incarceration of the Mighty Crusaders has come.

Unfortunately, this new group is far from a cohesive unit. Their leader, the latest to carry the name of the Shield, Victoria Adams, is too much of a loner and has trouble delegating to her teammates during a crisis. It doesn't help that legacy hero, the Fly, undermines the struggling new leader's every command. It also doesn't help that Higgins added another legacy, the over-confident Web to the lineup without the Shield's knowledge. Old-timer Steel Sterling is secretly battling the effects of time. Former Crusaders leader the Comet is with the team. However, the nightmares of that climatic fight with the Brain Emperor have left the hero's confidence rattled. Then there's the wild cards: Jaguar and Darkling. The Jaguar is teetering on the edge of insanity as the ancient god that shares her body is demanding sacrifice while the mysterious Darkling, the most powerful of all the Crusaders, is only on the team to prevent her from becoming a villain.

This book also comes with an exclusive short-story about the Mighty Crusaders predecessors, the New Crusaders. Also written by Ian Flynn, this story is supposed to bridge the reader between the two more recent superhero teams. I probably would have liked this story if not for Flynn himself. In this book's foreword, Flynn warns readers that the new team might have connections with the New Crusaders that left them confused. Thus the inclusion of the prequel story. Well, I actually felt like the main story didn't need the extra tale and that short was more confusing and unnecessary than Ian Flynn intended. Possibly even worse, that clunky short had an unintended consequence; it's put me off from wanting to read New Crusaders: Dark Tomorrow. 

Kelsey Shannon's art was so lively and animated. In fact, it looked like the storyboards that you might see for a cartoon show. There's been rumors of a Mighty Crusaders cartoon series since the 80s. I've pretty much given up hope on that project. So if Shannon's artwork is as close as we'll ever get to seeing the Red Circle heroes on the tube, I'm fine with that.

A very good opening salvo. I love that these guys can't seem to get along! I'm excited to see what's on store in volume 2. I just don't know where to find it. I found this book on a total lark at Ollie's and I didn't see any other similar books. Well, it turns out that's because there is no volume 2. Despite a promise of more story and this book being labeled 'Volume 1', these guys just didn't catch on and were quickly shelved. The Red Circle guys just can't catch a break!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars. 

Monster Unleashed

When I first heard about this 2017 Marvel crossover, I was pretty excited. The big baddies of Marvel's sci-fi 1950s and 60s like Fin Fang Foom, Goomba and the Creature from the Black Bog were finally gonna rise up against the heroes of the Marvel Universe and reclaim their place as the rightful rulers of earth. It even appeared from some of the earliest artworks that good guys such as Devil Dinosaur were going to rise up against these men in tights. Yet, that wasn't to be the storyline at all.

An invasion by kaiju-like creatures does happen in Monsters Unleashed. However, these behemoths are unlike anything to have ever graced the pages of a Marvel Comic. Planet Earth has been chosen as the newest nest of the Leviathon Queen, a massive crimson egg-laying beast. But before she can settle in, the world must be cleansed of vermin. That means 'bye-bye, pesky humans.' 

The superhuman population assembles on a global scale like never before. Heroes and villains join forces to stop these Leviathons from decimating the planet. That's where the Marvel monsters of the Silver Age of comics step in. They've been biding their time waiting for the chance to conquer our planet and they're not about to let a bunch of extraterrestrial interlopers just swoop in and take the planet from them! 

Monsters Unleashed was unlike any massive crossover event I've ever read from the House of Ideas. For one thing, it was fun. There wasn't any sort of major shock, like the death of Captain America at the end of Civil War. The editors didn't try to add some new character that was going to change the way we looked at people of color or gender or reveal that some beloved established character was now retconned to be furry or something like that. Instead, this storyline was a tribute to the giant monsters of a by-gone era of creativity and thinly veiled fear of the Red Menace of Communism!

The new character that was introduced in this series was a young pre-teen boy named Kei. He has the ability to draw monsters and make them appear and disappear as needed. With this ability, Kei becomes Kid Kaiju (a freakin' awesome 2010s superhero name if I've ever heard one) and perhaps humanity's last hope for salvation against these big nasties.

I really loved how Monsters Unleashed utilized Moon Girl. Having her become a sort of mentor for new hero Kei was a perfect casting choice. Then we have monster-hunter Elsa Bloodstone becoming Kei's bodyguard and mentor in a preview of a Monsters Unleashed regular series that continues from where the 5th issue of the miniseries ends. Even though I've got plans to downsize my collection somewhat, I think I'd be more than happy to collect the follow-up series because just like this crossover event, it was fun. 

Okay. Now it's time to pick apart the story a little. With kaijus appearing all over the globe, both villains and protagonist alike, there's a lot of destruction here. Some notable landmarks become piles of rubble, like the Nevada's Hoover Dam, the imperial palace of Wakanda and Johannesburg's FNB Stadium. I've read Marvel stuff from the past 7 years since this story came out. I've not heard about rebuilding efforts from Monsters Unleashed still being a thing in the Marvel Universe. Is superhero calamity reconstruction company Damage Control that good at quick repairs? Or do the magicians of the Marvel Universe like Doctor Strange cast instance rebuild spells? I think what I'm trying to get at is as much as I enjoyed the scenes of massive destruction, the level seen in this book was just too implausible to me.

Cullen Bunn penned a great story that was a thrill ride a minute. Smartly plotted. Hilarious banter. The art was good. Though a lot of the alien kaiju seemed to have googly eyes that made them look more silly that deadly serious. (Was Hobby Lobby having a sale on them?) I did mourn the death of one of Kid Kaiju's creations. The character is only there for like 5 pages and yet I feel in love with them. Hopefully, they'll make a return! Some great variant covers by Arthur Adams appear in the back and they're not to be missed. 

Another gem unearthed at my nearest Ollie's, Monsters Unleashed is an extremely fun read  despite it's over-the-top level of chaos and destruction.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Minecraft/Incredibles 2 Free Comic Book Day 2019 #1

That day where I was stuck in my car with no phone and nothing good on the radio netted 2 comics that somehow fell out of my bag of books to share with the students at my school. This one is a double feature starring the world of the popular video game, Minecraft and Disney's Incredibles. 

I've never played Minecraft. I don't really know that much about the game. There's this green thing called a Creeper. Kids get really good designing stuff on the game. That's about it. 

I learned a little bit more about the game from this short story. There's players who like to destroy people's property called Griefers. The destruction is done with impunity and the poor victims have to start all over again just for the whole process to repeat itself. If that's how the game is, I sure don't want to play it. However, I did enjoy this game set ghost story. While I might not want to play Minecraft, I wouldn't mind reading another story or two about the comings and goings of the franchise.

Story #2 involves the super powered Parr family from Disney and Pixar's Incredibles franchise. During a seemingly fun day at a parade, robotic drones attack the giant balloons. Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl and the kids save the day. However, the big baddie gets away. 

The event leaves mom and dad really drained. Thinking some alone time is what they need, Violet and Dash arrange to babysit baby Jack-Jack while the folks go to a movie. To ensure that date night isn't ruined by calamity, the kids go on patrol, only wind up face to face with the villain from the parade and squad of his souped up drones!

It was interesting to see these two separate franchises in the same book. Sure, this is a Free Comic Book Day promotional item in which both properties were released by Dark Horse. All that makes sense to me. Only I thought Disney was so anti-cross promotional, that I didn't think it was possible here. From what I know about modern Disney, I would expect the Incredibles to be solo stars of their own FCBD release or be teamed with another Pixar franchise. 

Go figure. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars. 

Blue Ribbon Comics #6 (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

In 1983, Archie Comics revived it's superhero line of comics for the fourth time. Heroes such as the Shield, the Fly and the Black Hood were given darker origins as they were modernized for the 80s. To highlight some of the characters that were being revived without their own solo titles, Archie Comics, under the Red Circle imprint, released a second volume of Blue Ribbon Comics. 

The first volume of Blue Ribbon Comics was an anthology series that featured characters representing a number of genres. From 1940-42, readers of the 22 issues of Blue Ribbon Comics, Volume 1 were treated to tales about cowboys, spies, funny animals and of course, superheroes. 

The 1980s reboot of Blue Ribbon Comics was an solo feature anthology similar to DC's Showcase Presents. Each issue featured mostly all-new material that introduced the Archie heroes to new readers; although some reprinted materials were added as filler to the first few issues of the revitalized title. Not only were Archie heroes featured in this series. Characters from other publishers such as Tower Comics' T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents starred in later issues.

Issue #6 featured the character of the Fox. Looking like a cross between the Black Panther and a capeless Batman, the Fox takes on street punks, organized crime and costumed bad guys. Originally, the Fox was newspaper photojournalist Paul Patton, who often benefits as being the first reporter on the scene to score a scoop for The Daily Globe after defeating the villains while in costume as the Fox. This issue marks the debut of the Fox II in the form of Patton's son, Paul Jr. Whereas the original Fox was a skilled athlete, the second generation hero was a master of martial arts. In his debut feature, the Fox is on the trail of the head of a guild of assassins when he comes face-to-face with a former fellow member of his dojo called Martial Law. Once believed dead, the foe formerly known as The Gasser, has vowed revenge on the Fox for his past defeat and a place in the assassin guild awaits him should he kill the Fox!

The debut of the second Fox is a bit muddled. On at least 2 occasions in this issue does writer and editor Rich Buckler make allusions to previous activity by Paul Jr. in other recent Red Circle titles. Originally the new Archie heroes books were to take place in the past, right around their 1940s debut. However, the timeline was soon bumped up in most of the titles to modern day 1980s America. With this retcon, actions by the Fox which were to have been conducted by the original Fox were now attributed to Paul Patton's son.

Not having a blueprint set out ahead of time had been mentioned by some as the reason that Red Circle, later the Archie Adventure Series, superhero revival quickly faded by 1985. Another argument for it's quick demise was that Archie couldn't navigate the burgeoning direct sales market with emerging comic book stores. I tend to follow this camp as I remember for a long time seeing the Red Circle characters adorning ads in the pages of various Archie Comics. Yet none of the comic book stores I frequented ever carried any of the titles. 

While the Fox II would disappear with the cancellation of the entire line in 1985-86, he and his allies would return to print on several occasions. In 1991, DC Comics licensed the Red Circle characters from Archie into the !mpact Comics imprint. During this incarnation, the characters operated in a universe separate from DC's main stays like Superman and Wonder Woman. However, when DC again licensed the characters from Archie in 2008, efforts were made to integrate them with the residents of the DC Universe. Sadly, neither imprint saw much success.

Archie once again has the rights to Fox and friends. The character has appeared in several miniseries as both as a solo act and member of the Mighty Crusaders in the past dozen years. Most recently, both versions of the Fox, along with Paul Jr's son, Shinji (aka the Ghost Fox) appeared in a 2022 one-shot titled The Fox: Family Values. Along with all-new material, the special features a reprint from Alex Toth.

Blue Ribbon Comics #6 was written by Rich Buckler and Stan Timmons. Art by Tony DeZuniga with inks and cover art by Rudy Nebres.

Completing this review completes Task #11 (Select a Long Box and read the 14th book in the box) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Wolverine: First Class, Vol. 4: Ninjas, Gods and Divas

A couple of weeks ago, I was wanting to read something fun. Something light. Only, I'd select a book, head to the bedroom to read it and discover that a Halloween themed story is inside. I don't know about you but a personal rule of mine is that you can't read Halloween comics unless it's October. So I held on to that book and went to find another. Wouldn't you know it, it too had a Halloween time set story inside. I went through this like 4 times before I finally gave up. It was like I was cursed or something.

On Saturday, I went ahead and began reading this book. The debut issue of the X-Men/Power Pack miniseries, which is the Halloween tale, was the last story in this volume. I didn't see it as breaking the rules of I didn't read that story until October 1st. I also didn't expect this series to turn out how it did.

Based on the title of 'First Class', I thought that this was going to be a series of untold origin tales starring everyone's favorite Canadian mutant, Wolverine either before Weapon X or during his time as a member of Alpha Flight. That's kinda how X-Men: First Class turned out. Instead, the majority of the stories are set during the early days of the Uncanny X-Men, when Kitty Pryde was the only adolescent student at Xavier's School for Gifted Students. 

Professor X sees that Kitty Pryde needs to toughen up a bit, least she never make it as an X-Man. Xavier also thinks that the hard travelling Logan needs to lighten up a bit and learn some empathy. Thus a classic team-up is born. Only don't expect these stories to just involve Sprite and Wolverine. There are a ton of cameos representing the mutant race as well as pairings with a slew of superstars from the Marvel Universe.

Together Wolverine and Kitty Pryde take on Red Hand ninjas with Daredevil and Elektra, stop a troll invasion with Thor and go on tour with Dazzler, who recently received a death threat in her private dressing room. Even though Wolverine is known to be very good at doing some very un-nice, he's like a grumpy uncle who always acts like he hates kids, but secretly is a softie to them. 

Peter David wrote the 3 stories collected from Wolverine: First Class. David is one of those writers who can write serious as well as lighthearted and both are equally great. Plus, Peter David puts the fun into everything he touches and from what I read, this book was capital F- U-N!

What about that Halloween story? It was a lot of fun too. When Power Pack came out in the 80s, I wasn't a big fan. I thought it was kinda dumb having kid superheroes. As I've gotten older, I have kinda grown to like them a little more. I see now how a group of 4 kids becoming heroes could expand the imagination of a fellow youngster to dream of becoming something fantastic. Plus, since the whole secret identity thing is out the window because Mom and dad both know, a lot of the implausibles that plague kid superheroes are eliminated.

The Halloween story is mostly a Power Pack adventure. One of the kids dresses up like Wolverine in hopes of winning the local costume contest. Getting separated from his siblings, the preteen Wolvie runs smack dab into Sabertooth while his family meets the real deal X-Man.

That story had great banter and was a perfect way to start off my October themed reads. As for Wolverine: First Class, I'm hooked. I want to know how many total issues were in the series and I want to add it to my wishlist. I kinda feel like I should give 2 ratings. One of the team-ups and and for the holiday special. Good thing both reads were flawless.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

My Hero Academia, Vol. 1 (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Visit a future in which 80% of the world has superpowers. It's now an everyday occurrence to witness heroes taking on villains. But it's also not unusual to have the guy taking your fast food order have some sort of 'quirk.'

Those without powers are referred to as 'quirkless'. One such powerless member of the dwindling populace is Izuru Midoriya. With parents who have powers, it's been Izuru's dream to become a superhero like his idol, All Might. Though Izuru is without powers, that doesn't stop him from practicing for the entrance exam to U.A. High School, the world's most prestigious training facility for turning Quirks into superheroes.

Without a quirk, Izuru doesn't have a prayer. But a chance encounter with a super villain gives Izuru a chance to play hero. That episode captures the attention of All Might. Seeing potential in Izuru, All Might reveals that he is dying and as a result, looking for a successor. Thus will begin an intense training session towards making Izuru's body capable of accepting All Might's powers. That's the easy part. The real challenge will be to get Izuru accepted into the next class of Quirks at U.A.!

My Hero Academia is a long running Manga by Kohei Horikoshi (Barrage). Appearing as a segment in the weekly anthology series Weekly Shonen Jump, My Hero Academia has produced over 34 tankobon volumes of collected reprints, numerous spin-offs, an anime series, several animated films, a pair of video games and literal tons of merch! There's even talk of a live-action TV series or film (or both) in the works.

This series has elements that are quite familiar to me. The setting of a school to train the next gen of heroes in a competitive nature reminds me of Hogwarts. The competitions themselves are set up like video games. In fact, during Izuru's entrance exam, there's a series of silhouettes taken directly from a Nintendo franchise that was just 'Super'. I also felt that Izuru being the odd man out in a society full of powers was a lot like the relatively obscure Jim Valentino satire, Normalman!

Manga isn't really my thing. But thanks to the reading challenge, I'm reading more than I ever expected. I'm getting used to the uneven artwork; knowing now that emotions might sometimes result in a totally different character being used in place of the emoting protagonist. I'm also doing okay going from right to left in flipping the pages. But it's the counter-clockwise fashion of the panels that I'm still having difficulty with. Kohei Horikoshi loves to experiment with the format of the page and it gets very confusing. Imagine Jack Kirby's plotting. Now hold it in a mirror and you'll know my struggle.

I read this book as it has been a frequent recommendation of a friend. He believes that My Hero Academia is the type of story to which all American comics should aspire to. I think that some publishers are already doing so. Gotham Academy and Strange Academy and Young Avengers all seem to  have captured the young hero in training trope pretty well. What I think my friend is alluding to is DC and Marvel's hesitancy to create new series with completely all-new, all-original line-ups and not legacy characters. If that's the case, I can get behind that  opinion. Though I doubt either of the big two publishers would ever take such a risk.

An interesting toe-dip in to a beloved Manga franchise. Might I return for the rest of the story? I don't really know. There's so much stuff on my to-read list. But I will say that I enjoyed what I read, even though I had some difficulties. Plus, I am itching to know what happens to Izuru and his pals next. So maybe once I get to the end of my reading challenge list, I'll jump back in the Manga pool. Regardless, this experience has made me appreciate Manga just a tiny bit more.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #3 (Recommended by a Friend) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Tis The Ugly Sweater Season! Advent 2021: Day 14

It's a Bird...
It's a Plane...
It's Day 14 of our Ugly Sweater Advent and we're looking at those which are superhero and comic book themed!

This one lights up!

I want this one so freakin' bad! I love it!

Wakanda (and Christmas) Forever!

Before we go, stick around for a classic holiday recording of Batman and friends starring in 'The Christmas Carol Caper.' Produced by Power Records in the 1970s, this was just one of a trio of action-packed holiday stories starring your favorite DC heroes. It runs about 14 minutes. So pour yourself a glass of egg nog, snatch up a sugar cookie, dim the lights and plug in the tree and enjoy!

Blue Devil #1

Dan Cassidy is the best special effects and make-up guy in the business. His new high-tech suit for the upcoming blockbuster, 'The Blue Devil', is state of the art. It's sure to win some accolades come awards season.

While Dan is a whiz at SFX, he's a dud with the ladies. He's got the biggest crush on the star of the picture; a bombshell named Sharon. But Dan just can't express it to her.

While touring the ruins to be used for the film's climax, Sharon unknowingly unleashes a demon named Nebiros. A former ruler of this world, Nebiros has been exiled to a dying domain for centuries and he mistakes Cassidy, in full Blue Devil costume, as his brother rescuer. 

But the demon soon learns that this devil fights on the side of the angels. And in a rage, Nebiros hits Dan with a beam of energy so fierce, surely our hero has died in just his first issue. 

I've had the complete run of Devil Devil collected for quite some time. I just never really brought myself to read it. I really like the character from his role in the supernatural super team book, Shadowpact. That's the main reason why I decided to collect this book. That and it's indirect connection with Duke University. (One of the character designers spouses was a big Duke fan and they created the character in a sort of tribute to her fandom to the Blue Devils.)

However, I've been burned by mid-1980s DC books in the past. Just last month, I read Paul Kupperberg's Power Girl miniseries from 1988 and it was a massive turd. 1986's Blue Beetle had a very rough start focusing more on soap opera style plots than heroics and that era's Captain Atom series was a mixed bag. Only Booster Gold was a pure delight during this time of revamped and new DC heroes (that I've thus far read.) There's probably some more amazing CRISIS era titles out there that are gems to read. But I am often hesitant to dip my toe in those uncertain waters thanks to previous experience. 

But the premier issue of Blue Devil was great- for a premier issue. The origin story aspect was very good. The introduction to a few characters was rough with insipid dialogue. And we've got that Sam and Diane relationship between Dan and Sharon to sift through. Yet for a 'pilot' issue, this was very good. The book has a great sense of humor and Paris Cullns' (House of Mystery) Terry Austin style artwork in whimsically awesome.

I'm not quite there. But I think I might be hooked on this fantastic little book.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Moon Knight, Volume 1: Lunatic

Marc Spector awakens in a mental hospital. It seems that his life as the vigilante Moon Knight has been just a delusion of decades of psychosis. Yet no matter how hard Spector tries to see life through the eyes of a sane person, the man keeps running into fellow inmates who seem just like those who have fought along side him in his mission against evil and injustice. 

I think after numerous tries, I can say without a doubt, I am just not a Moon Knight fan. There's too many alter egos and confusing Egyptian gods. Oh, and violence. Lots and lots of mindless violence. 

I won this book, along with 3 other books, in a drawing during a comic book event. That's why I read this. I figured free is free. Plus, it has the great Jeff Lemire (Black Hammer) as the writer. So I thought that I would be in for a treat. 

This volume contains the first 5 issues of the 2016-17 Moon Knight series. The first 3 issues were pretty good. But the concluding pair of chapters were just a hot mess. Now the artwork overall was superior. It's a mix of different art styles by Star Wars: Vader's Greg Smallwood with help by Francesco Francavilla (Archie Horror), Michael Garland (King Thor) and others. And I just loved those covers. I'n not sure who did them. But they really were awesome. 

I know that Moon Knight has a cult following. He's just not my cup of tea. Someone might be a huge fan of this book. But that person isn't me.

 Hey- at least it was a free book!

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics #1000

Seeking to cash in on DC's success with Action Comics #1000 and Detective Comics #1000, the House of Ideas got creative in their 80th anniversary with Marvel Comics #1000.

True, I was sucked into the hype. I went to my local comic book shop and ordered my selection of a variant cover. My choice was tough. I really love Alex Ross and his regular cover was amazing. But I was in love with the 1960s cover done by Mike Allred!

Marvel Comics #1000 was worked on by 80 different creative teams and it was a wide range of talent! From Kareem Abdul Jabbar to Peter David to Joe Hill to Toby Whithouse- it was a massive potpourri of names. Sadly, Stan Lee passed before getting to contribute to this milestone comic. 

The book stars out with a pretty cool concept from the very first panel of Marvel Comics #1 way back in 1939. The 3 men who witness the creation of the mechanical Human Torch are apparently a part of some secret Science Guild. They've been working in the background of the rise of superheroes for the past 80 years and Atlas agent Jimmy Woo is on the hunt for why they've spent 8 decades looking for the discarded mask of a fallen mystery man.

Each page of this book covers a single year progressing from 1939-2019. This format moves the story of the Science Guild forward from 1939 until about 1943. Then it starts to sprinkle tributes about first appearances and major events throughout the book. If Marvel Comics #1000 would have either stayed with a single cohesive story, a year at a time or having 80 different tribute pages- I would have been happy with this one-shot. 

But Marvel decided to ramble. For one thing, the publisher decided to choose some really weird things to be giddy about. Like 1980 was devoted to a brief encounter between Doctor Doom and Iron Man. At times, Marvel gets preachy. I'm talking Axel Alonso, all readers who think unlike us are stupid, preachy. But for a company that claims to be 'woke', I thought it was quite odd that one tribute was devoted to Storm's punk era look in the mid-80s. That just seemed hypocritically sexist to me. 

However, that tribute page for 1977 about a galaxy far, far away. WOW! It gives me re-newed hope of a Marvel/Star Wars fantasy crossover!

Marvel Comics #1000 had promise. It just couldn't decide which way it wanted to go. 80 different Tributes or epic story spanning all of Marvel's publishing history. You only had to choose 1 direction Marvel. But you got greedy and the lack of quality and care bled through!

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Fantastic Four Roast #1

From the warped mind of Fred Hembeck, this one-shot from 1982 skewers the first family of Marvel. It was published in time for the 20th anniversary of Fantastic Four #1. Technically, that issue debuted in November of 1961. But as publishing comics has always been a confusing thing for many collectors due to pre-dated of the months on a cover, this book's debut was close enough to be a tribute to the FF to count.

As with anything by Hembeck, 3 things are immediately noticeable:

1. The humor is full of one-liners, bad puns, and very wacky.

2. The dialogue is super small as Fred Hembeck loves to talk!

3. All of the characters have pinwheels on their knees. 

I love Fred Hembeck. He's extremely fun and he's a great storyteller. Hembeck is a comic book historian and though he does ramble, I could read his stuff all day. Well, that is, I could if the tiny font didn't give me a headache.

The lettering wasn't as bad as some of Hembeck's non-fiction stuff. But it's still less than a Times New Roman 8 for sure. The Fantastic Four Roast was very funny and had some great twists. 

I've been reading the Fred Hembeck Omnibus off-and-on and this book is NOT included in that. None of Hembeck's Marvel stuff is in that Dark Horse Comics collection. So if you are looking to own a total library of Fred's stuff, you'll want to own a copy of this humorous classic.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Classic Toys from a Madman's Youth: Advent 2019 Day 24

If you are expecting a toy today- sorry. I cheated today. But you know what? It's my Advent to you. I saw this great sign today that said 'Your opinion is not a part of the recipe!' Nobody pays me to do my Advents. In fact, for the life of me, Google AdSense refuses to grant this blog to be a source of extra income. Thus Madman with a Book is a labor or love and if I say that today's item is a toy- it's a toy.

Today, I am talking about one of my most favorite gifts of all-time. It's something I still love to receive and if you are a regular read of this blog, you'll know that I still regularly purchase and consume these almost everyday. I'm talking about comic books!

I was introduced to comic books at an extremely young age due to my father. He had an extensive collection of books from the 1950s and 60s- many of which would first appearances of icons such as the Barry Allen Flash and the Hal Jordan Green Lantern. My dad grew up during the beginning of the Silver Age of comics and his collection showed. There were tons of Superman, Lois Lane, Hawkman and other titles. Thus, I had no choice but to become a DC person!

IT was a rare treat when my dad would bring out his box of comics. I'd say he did it once or twice a year. We'd spend hours looking over the books. It was so fun!

Over time, I started getting into comic books. But it wasn't until 1988 that I seriously started collecting. That's when we moved to Knightdale, NC. My new home had an attic and my mother wanted above all else in her new house closet space. And my dad's comic books were slated to be taken up to a very hot, dank setting that had zero climate control. 

Not wanting the books to get damaged future, dad's collection became my collection. Over the course of a year, I became a geek. A new Batman movie helped to feed that obsession. As part of all that, I wanted comic books for Christmas of 1989 that and that's where today's GIFT came it. 

I don't remember where I saw it. But I wanted a comic book collector's kit. It came with protective sleeves, and a guide to pricing and collecting comics. And there was a grab bag assortment of books. (Man I love grab bags! To this day, I can't pass up a comic book mystery bag!) I really wanted that collector's kit and since my mother would buy her son anything if it involved reading, that was what I got for Christmas 1989. 

This was also the year I was introduced to a quaint series about mutants living in the U.K. called Excalibur. The grab bag was filled with several issues (in a row) of the Marvel Comic. I have fond memories of lying on the floor under my tree, next to my dog Lassie and cat, Midnight, just pouring over every page from Chris Claremont and Alan Davis. 

Comic Books has been a part of my life since almost day 1. But it's not been as prevalent as tomorrow's gift. This is it! the biggie! What is the most beloved toy I ever got for Christmas? Find out tomorrow. Until then, here's a comical holiday skit starring some Marvel Comics characters. Enjoy!