Alligators in the Sewer and 222 Other Urban Legends: Absolutely True Stories that Happened to a Friend...of a Friend...of a Friend by Thomas J. Craughwell

I've been interested in Urban Legends ever since I read this 3-volume set my mom had back in the 90s. It was written by some noted folklorist and while I read them in high school, I think the books had been published years, if not decades prior.

I'm not 100% certain when or where I got this book either. It was at a used bookstore somewhere in North Carolina. I've got 2 prime suspects. Both on either side of Durham County. Regardless, I don't think I paid more than a dollar for this book.

You don't get to the title alligators in the sewer or many of the most well known urban legends until the last chapter of this book. For someone who was hoping to come across some new myths, that's a very good thing. But if all you wanted were those all-time classics, like the Mexican Chihuahua or the vanishing hitchhiker, you'll either want to stick to just the final chapter or find another book of urban legends to peruse. 

Personally, I was hoping for more inside stuff. I was wanting to know some potential root causes for why these urban legends came about. There are a couple of times that author Thomas J. Craughwell digs a tad under the surface. But out of 223 urban legends, he probably only goes in depth on about 2 dozen of them.

I watch a lot of Travel Channel's Mysteries of the Museum. Oddly enough, several of the urban legends in this book, I've seen presented as fact on the Don Wildman hosted series. So am I to believe that all these museums across the world are presenting urban legends as historical fact or is there a little bit of truth to these urban legends?

I also felt that Craughwell's definition of an urban legend didn't fit with one chapter of this book. The 7th chapter deals with UFOs and aliens. Now, I'm not saying that they are real. However, I've read my fair share of accounts of unexplained phenomenon and books on conspiracy theory to know that many  if not all of the accounts in the UFO chapter are documented facts. With urban legend being about stories that happened to 'a friend of a friend of a friend', if it's been documented by the US Air Force, you can't consider it an urban legend, no matter how outlandish.

There were quite a few personal favs that were not included in this book. For instance, there's a tale of a naked lady who all she could find to wear was a football helmet. When some repair man approaches her he exclaims 'I'm not sure which team you're playing for, but I sure hope they win.' Maybe that is something that started out as a joke and became an urban legend. I just don't know. But that's the kind of information I was hoping this book would have about these types of stories. Maybe the next book on urban legends I get my hands on will provide such knowledge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Fear the Funhouse #1 (Family Comic Friday)

One of the reasons I love doing this weekly article so much is that I get to help parents and guardians navigate the tricky waters of age appropriateness in terms of comics and graphic novels. Often, it's the clerks at comic book stores and book stores that don't have a clue what is okay for a 7 year old to read and what is more suited for someone in 5th grade. Occasionally, a library will shelve Alan Moore's Watchmen in the all ages graphic novel section. And then sometimes the publishers themselves muck everything up as is the base here.

Archie's Fear The Funhouse is rated Teen Plus. However, editor Jamie L. Rotante states towards the back of this one-shot that this Halloween time special was geared towards middle school readers who would've enjoyed R.L. Stine's Goosebumps or Nickelodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark? According to Howtolovecomics.com, the age range for Teen+ is 15 and up. American middle schoolers are in the range of ages 11-13. So, obviously, if this is a comic book for those in Jr. High, then the Archie staff made a boo-boo.

Having read this book, I can state that there are a few scares. But there's no sex, gore or bad language that adults need to worry about their young readers coming across. The worst thing is perhaps the prospect of a whole lot of coed preteen members of the Archie Gang spending the night in the woods of Riverdale without any parental supervision. The camping trip in question is an annual Halloween sleepover at the Adventures Scouts tree house. To pass the time, the kids roast hot dogs, stay on the lookout for bears and tell scary stories. 

There are a total of 3 stories told around the kids' campfire. The first involves that famed urban legend of an escaped convict with a hook for a hand. But there's a twist and the next to last panel of the story is actually kinda terrifying. Story two melds fantasy and reality as Archie crafts a story about an eerie noise that is haunting the campers. The last fable is truly creepy. Told by Dilton, it chronicles a young boy's obsession and descent into paranoia around his discovery of a long thought lost video game. 

The two book-ending stories were the best. The opening fright stars members of the Archie Comics family that actually predate Archie and his friends by 3 months! I love how Archie Comics makes use of their forgotten legacy heroes. I love even more that the editorial team tells us all about it in their director's cut commentary in back of the books!

I think the artwork more than anything of that video game story creeped me out. Rotante claims that the artwork was done in the style of Edward Gorey. But it looks more like Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs' Ron Barrett. I was also unsettled by the ambiogous ending that hearkens back to German post-modernism film. I'm still trying to figure out what the last image of the word 'TEMI' stands for...

As for the middle story, it was cute. But it was also a little confusing. It was just a tad hard to figure out where the story of Archie's ended and the reality of the framing tale restarted. As for the end of this comic, it ended about as ambiguous as the video game story. But I felt that the close to this book was rather silly and the frantic kinetic motion that was supposed to be elicted by the kids at the end looked more like elderly mall walkers on a Tuesday morning. 

If Fear the Funhouse is something Archie Comics is looking to do annually, I wholeheartedly throw my support on this. Just be sure to adjust the rating of this book. I'm thinking the only reason this book got a teen+ rating is due to it being part of the Archie Horror imprint. Archie Horror titles are not for kids. Think TheCW's Riverdale with swears and blood. And the occult. Lots and lots of black magic. All three of which things are not to be found in this book!

If you are looking for a safe, friendly Archie comic devoted to frights, then you'll love Fear the Funhouse! If the 2022 Archie Halloween Special was a fall festival (wholesome fun for the whole family), this book would be a trunk or treat event; a little more mature and a tad bit more scary. But definitely nothing that should keep you up at night for too long.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Big Book of Urban Legends (A Madman Re-Read)

This is a re-read for me. 

The Big Book of Urban Legends is a collection of the best of the best tales told from a friend of a friend. The vanishing hitchhiker. Mikey from Life Cereal commercials died eating pop rocks and coke. The madman under the car waiting to slice the ankles of ladies putting their groceries in their car. And dozens upon dozens more.

And let's talk about the art talent. Arthur Adams (Fantastic Four), Fred Hembeck (Fred Hembeck Destroys the Marvel Universe), Trina Robbins (Wonder Woman) and so many more. 

One thing I didn't realize until reading this again is that the artists did not write the scripts. The book itself comes from noted folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand (Curses! Broiled Again!) It's so amazing how varied the storytelling was. I did not originally suspect that one writer was involved.

A great read. I'm not known for reading very many things one than once. That I read this over 200 page collection once more speaks volumes. 

Out of print. But still on Amazon! If you love Urban Legends- this is a must read!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Big Book of Urban Legends

 

  The escaped mental patient hiding in the backseat...
    Alligators living in the sewers of New York...
    The woman who microwaved her dog in the microwave...
   
     Urban legends. We've all heard of these stories. Whether we've told these stories around a glowing campfire or heard that these really happened (to a friend of a friend), our culture is filled with these stories. Some tales have were born from a bit of truth. Others are steeped in our fears or prejudices. But no matter where these urban legends came from, they've become a little bit of a guilty pleasure of mine.
     I found the Big Book of Urban Legends in a bargain bin in one of my favorite local comics shops. I've been a fan of the Big Book series, published by now defunct DC Comics imprint Paradox Press, for quite some time and when I can find one to complete my collection, I rarely hesitate to own one. Maybe I'm biased but this one just happened to have a little bit of a special history for me.
    The Big Book of Urban Legends was written by noted folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand. My mother, a lover of Gothic horror in her own right, just happened to own a trio of books devoted to urban legends and these books coincidentally were written by Brunvand!
     I remember one rainy weekend that I found my mom's copies and read them- no I devoured them! Some were scary. Some were weird. Some were even titillating. But above all, they were all captivating. As a result, I became a fan of urban legends and this was a fun trip down memory lane for me in a way.
    This collection features dozens of artists who tackled their favorite myths. Legends such as Joe Orlando, Dick Giordano, and Keith Griffin are just some of the talent found in this volume of over 200 different legends. Even this Madman's fan favorite Fred Hembeck illustrates a yarn about a car enthusiast and his jealous wife.  
      The Big Book of Urban Legends was a fun read. The only problem I have with it is that I didn't wait until closer to Halloween to read it and October just seems to me to be the perfect time to read urban legends and myths. But let's be honest folks, stories like the Vanishing Hitchhiker in which someone picks up a lonely girl on the side of a road only to learn she died years earlier, are NOT urban legends. Those are ghost stories and they deserved their own Big Book. But hey, it's still fun to read and maybe get a little freaked out.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.