Lunar New Year Love Story

I bought this 2024 graphic novel after last year's Lunar New Year. My favorite comic shop, who makes great recommendations, ordered it, knowing I love holiday books. So I had to wait almost an entire year to read. I collect holiday comics and graphic novels for all seasons and occasions. This is my first involving Chinese New Year. However, it very well could be a Valentine's Day read.

Val loves Valentine's Day. She dreams of a romance like those 80s flicks where a pair of unlikely people find true love. However, when Val learns that her mother really isn't dead but instead left her and her father at a very young age, Val is convinced she is cursed to never find love. 

During a Lunar New Year celebration, Val vows to give up on finding true love. With a 1-year deadline, looming Val runs into Leslie, a young man from a wealthy family who goes to a private school across town. But things are complicated by the fact that Leslie likes to take things very slow. Plus, he seems to have a lot of female friends who act like they're more than friends. 

As the year comes to a close, Val's heart is mixed up in a love triangle between Leslie and his cousin. It appears that the other boy is Val's true love; only it's causing bad blood between the cousins. With the announcement that he's moving back to Korea, Val decides to runaway on love herself, doomed to become the latest victim of her family's relationship curse. 

Lunar New Year Love Story is over 300 pages. The first 60 pages all involve Valentine's Day. The spirit of St. Valentine is a major character in this story and hearts and chocolates play important roles. Despite that, this is a very Asian graphic novel. Val is Vietnamese. Leslie is Chinese. The cousin is Korean. I did not know until reading this book that all 3 cultures celebrated the Lunar New Year! So it's kinda culturally insensitive to only wish a Happy Chinese New Year during this time of year. 

I was on the fence about keeping this book after reading it as it was a romance. I should have known that this was going to be an amazing work since it was written by Gene Luen Yang and I've never had any qualms with his epic storytelling. The art is by Leuyen Pham. My first encounter with her work. But it was equally as amazing as the storytelling. 

Today is Lunar New Year. So it's too late to read for that holiday. But with Valentine's Day still a couple of weeks away, there is still time to read while covered under the awning of the holidays of the season. Had I known that this book took place during high school, I would have read this book for my Family Comic Friday reviews. But the couple on the cover looked like adults to me. Don't let the age of the characters full you. This was a very mature read. If you've ever complained that Hallmark has never made a Lunar New Year movie, this book could be the inspiration to the adaptation of your wish come true!

Gosh darn it! This was a perfect read. I'm going have an honest to goodness romance in my holiday collection!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

DC's Harley Quinn Romances #1

This is my last Valentines read for 2024. It's last year's 80-paged Valentine's Day special from DC Comics. From the clever title which is a great pun of those Harlequin Romance novels that everyone's mom, including mine, read, I thought we were going to be in for a treat. Instead, much of this book was one big hot mess. 

Readers get not 1 but 2 Harley Quinn tales. The last story, which also stars a slew of ladies from the DC universe, including members of the Birds of Prey as well as Superman's mermaid ex Lori Lemaris, was lots of fun. It's got Harley and the gals having a Galentine's Day brunch on Wonder Woman's credit card. Each of the women describe their past dalliances with King of the Sea, Aquaman. It was a brilliant exploration of the 80 year plus superhero career of Arthur Curry. 

If only the opening Harley story was anywhere near as good. That story has Harley interrupting a Valentines Day caper planned by lady love, Poison Ivy. I don't care what anybody says, but Poison Ivy is just as bad a romantic choice for Harley Quinn as the Joker is. If not worse! The Joker is abusive and manipulative. And that's not cool. Yet, Poison Ivy seems to do the same under the guise of being Harley's best friend/lover. I don't think any casual observer of the Joker/Harley Quinn relationship could see that the Clown Prince of Crime really had no love or care for Dr. Harleen Quinzel. Yet with Poison Ivy, she might not be physically abusive with Harley, but Pamela Isley is so rude and mocking of Harley. Most folks think Ivy and Harley are soul mates. But I know the truth! That girl is POISON!

The Power Girl story in which Superman sets her up with Jimmy Olsen was pretty cool. I hadn't realized that she had been reintroduced into the same DCU universe as Supergirl. Once I did a quick Google search to clear those questions up, I enjoyed the heck out of this story. Though I still prefer Supergirl to Power Girl any day!

The Hellblazer story was also really well done. It had a lot of heart and the big reveal of the secret guest star to the tale was so satisfying! 

The other remaining 4 stories stink, Stank, STUNK! I don't care a thing about the characters of Wildstorm. I didn't like them when they were the product of Image Comics and I don't like them now. The Kite Man story was stupid. The Fire and Ice story should have been a home run. Only the writing was clunky and the ending was flat. The Batman story had good writing and a clever plot with Batman racing the clock to deactivate a bomb placed inside a random dude's neck and the new fiancee tagging along. But the artwork was awful. 

I've yet to read this year's DC Valentine's Day special. The title of 'How to Lose a Guy Gardner in 10 Days' was ingenious. I immediately placed my order for the book when I saw it. Only it's currently on back order. That means I'll be reading it next year I guess. However, if it's anywhere close to how disappointing this book was, I might be waiting for nothing but a big letdown.

What a waste of a 10 spot. A twenty if this year's offering is just as lame!

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Archie Valentine's Day Spectacular 2023 #1

For some reason or another, I didn't get my hands on last year's Archie Valentine's special until after February 14th. That's why I'm reading and reviewing it now.

This special introduces a new student to Riverdale High. Cassie Cloud is a tall, beautiful blonde who could be mistaken for Betty if note for the sky blue highlights in her hair. All the guys seem into Cassie. Archie thinks she's a dancing queen. Moose is enamored by her physical abilities as a girl's football player. Jughead is head-over-heels with Cassie's baking abilities. And all of the girls are jealous with a capital J!

Only the macho guys of Riverdale don't even appear on Cassie's romantic radar. She's into the more nerdier population of Riverdale. Cassie digs comic books, RPG games and sci-fi movies. 

I think Cassie Cloud is fascinating and I hope we see more of her. She kinda reminds me of my wife who is a lady of multiple talents and interests. Only I wouldn't classify Cassie Cloud as a nerd. That's what the green eyed gals of Riverdale High call Cassie's role playing guy pals. And Cassie claims the title of NERD for herself. Only because of her interest in sports and other popular activities, I would seem Cassie to be a geek. That's what I was in high school and if my wife has been a student athlete in high school, so would she.

 Other than the mislabeling, I enjoy this new tale.

There were 4 reprint stories. Two were by the amazing Dan Parent. All of them seemed to be from the past two decades. While I would have appreciated a classic tale from the 50s or 60s, these were all good holiday reads. Sure, that Veronica's new boyfriend story had a predictable ending (maybe I've read it before), but this annual Valentine's Day read was the total package!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Archie's Valentine's Spectacular 2024 #1

The 2024 Archie Valentine's Day special has arrived. Once again, Archie is introducing us to some all-new characters. But the players are not human but manifestations of the spirit of the holiday. Not only has that idea been used in previous Halloween specials but several Archie Christmas Spectaculars as well. 

At first I was having fatigue in what I thought was the overuse of the plot trope. Yet the characters of Flowers, Hearts and Candies were really well written by Ian Flynn and they were so funny. It also helped that Archie editor Mike Pellerito admits that the idea of the trio of characters was based on those previous holiday annuals. If the Archie talents understand that they might be dipping a little too frequently into the same idea well, I guess I can let things slide for another year. But I expect the next couple of years to give these characters a rest. I like tradition. But there's such a thing as taking a break from time to time to keep things fresh as well.

One tradition that I hope never stops is the new larger amount of material. My biggest gripe with all of the Archie spectaculars are that they are too darn short. It feels like the editing staff listened to me as there was 2 all-new stories (though a repeat of you bought this year's Valentine's Day themed Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #347) along with 3 classic tales and a Bite-Sized Archie short.

The second new feature has Sabrina the Teenage Witch trying to summon Cupid in hopes of persuading Jughead to finally ask Big Ethel out. Instead, she conjures a demon that ends up being the antithesis of everything Cupid stands for. It was a good story. Though that evil creature wasn't my type of thing. Plus, I never knew that Jughead knew that Sabrina is a witch!

I liked 2 of the 3 classic stories. Sadly, the Dan Parent yarn about love triangles in the Archie Universe was the weakest of the three. I say unfortunately because I feel that Dan Parent is the best modern Archie creator out there but this experimental piece was in need of more data gathering before going to press. Plus I didn't understand that Bite-Sized Archie web comic preview. 

I enjoyed this Valentine's special. It's just in danger of getting stale if the creators keep relying on magical representations of the embodiment of the holiday of the month in future editions. In terms of the reprints, it's not feasible to expect every selection to be something everyone likes. So I'm not taking away points for that Dan Parent piece. But there was a real chance that I could of deducted more points if Hearts, Flowers and Candies hadn't been as funny as they were. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Vision and the Scarlet Witch #9

This issue is a team-up. But not of superheroes. It's a joining of 2 holidays! The main holiday event is Mardi Gras, which in itself is a rarity in comics. I don't have such an issue in my collection and I can't even recall a single Mardi Gras special ever being published. Vision and Wanda's new neighbors, the professional magician duo of Illusion and Glamour, have invited the former Avengers to accompany them to the Big Easy where they are scheduled to perform during the Fat Tuesday festivities. This vacation doubles for the expectant parents as a pre-baby romantic getaway as Valentine's Day is happening at the same time as Mardi Gras. 

As for Valentines Day set comics, they're rarer than a Halloween or Christmas special. But compared to Mardi Gras books, I've got a glut of them in my collection.

While Vision and the Scarlet Witch enjoy the oddities of Mardi Gras, it's revealed that Illusion and Glamour are not just traveling magicians, but super-powered cat burglars who fund their luxurious lifestyle with thefts planned around their touring schedule. They're in New Orleans in hopes of pulling a heist involving a valuable jewel.

Also with their eyes set on the jewel is the Norse villainess, the Enchantress. She somehow manages to pull the Vision under her thrall with the task of stealing the jewel for her. Now why the Enchantress couldn't steal the bauble herself, what with her Asgardian powers is about as beyond me as to how can an android man become the love slave of the Enchantress? She mentions something about pheromones influencing the Vision and well, how can androids be influenced by human chemical compounds when they also comment in this book how they don't need to eat or drink? Well, both head scratchers do occur in this book and by stories end, there's a scene where Vizh in in between both his wife and new love and the two ladies are becoming at him like a pair of masters trying to prove who is the true owner of a stray dog. 

The main story had some implausibles. Really, the addition of the Enchantress to this double holiday themed story was unnecessary based on how she could just steal the jewel herself. This plot issue is irregardless of the fact that her powers of seduction are useless over the female owner of the stone. Are you telling me that Enchantress lacks the ability to magically break into a safe?

I thought the revelation that Illusion and Glamour are traveling thieves under the guise of famous show biz magicians was the best part of this book. I wonder how this reveal is gonna be handled through the last 4 issues of this miniseries. Will it even be addressed? I'm really interested in learning more about these 2 characters because thing just got interesting!!!

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Vampirella Valentines Day Special (2022)

I wrapped up my Valentine's Day readings with a real vamp. Four stories of love and romance from Dynamite Entertainment.

The first story was the best. A retiring detective reflects on his first encounter with Vampirella which was a Valentine's Day night to remember.

Then Vampirella must protect New York City from a pair of elemental kaijus.

In a story set during the days of the Old West, a pair of outlaw lovers seek refuge from a mysterious benefactor known to help gunslingers arrange a much needed disappearance.

Lastly, Vampirella travels overseas to investigate reports of a Valentine's Day killer.

I've been reading comic books for like 40 years. This is the first time I've ever read a Vampirella comic. It is because of how she's dressed? More than likely. It's definitely not because of the horror aspect. I try to shy away from sexpot characters. But my favorite LCS knows I'm a big holiday comics collector and they ordered this for me. They've made good recommendations for me in the past, so I went with it. They did a good job on this.

Only the first story involved sex. Even then, it was off-screen stuff. And still, it was the best written of the quartet. I wasn't sure if the Old West story involved Vampirella or not. Or one of her multiverse alternates. (I might not read Vampirella stories but I am aware of her exploits from reading the previews.)

Have I become a Vampirella fan? Will I be requesting more Vampirella in my in-box? Probably not. But I will be open to collecting more holiday adventures starring the iconic horror dream queen. 

Happy V-Day!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

Strange Love Adventures #1

For the past couple of years, I've been lamenting both the pricey $9.99 MSRP and the lack of quality of the over-sized DC holiday specials. Well, it's Valentine's Day and I laid down a Hamilton for this years romance offering. 

And I must say- this one was great!!! 

Instead of trying to make a political statement (or insult it's bread & butter readers), DC actually crafted 8 stories that were entertaining and fun! They all had heart, which is probably a good thing since this is a Valentine's Day special. True, not every story takes place during V-Day but love is definitely in the air. 

Highlights include: 

• Harley Quinn goes on the rebound from the Joker once again to become the Bride of Black Adam?!
• Sgt. Rock is sent to dinosaur island and makes allies from unlikely pair of love birds
• Alfred reflects on his time as the patriarch of the Batman Family
• Billy Batson calls upon Clark Kent to help him navigate his first date
• Iris Allen and the Flash go on a Valentines double-date with Grodd

I am surprised that DC didn't focus on same-sex relationships or gender identity in this special. While the Alfred story is about the bonds of family love and the Harley story ends with her and Poison Ivy having a romantic night together, the majority of these stories are about heterosexual relationships. I really would have thought that DC would be all about Love is Love in this special, which for a special about love and romance, would have been completely appropriate. I'm just thankful that for once DC left out references to Trump, Global Warming and more of it's triggering soap boxes. 

Now if only DC would carry this formula to it's Halloween and Holiday specials. But with the forthcoming deaths of most of the heavy hitters of the DCU, I'm not holding my breath. At least this special was satisfying!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Archie's Valentine's Spectacular (2022 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

It seems only natural that Archie Comics has decided to issue an Archie Valentine's Day special this year. Since his very first appearance in the pages of Pep #22 (Dec. 1941), love has always been on Archie's mind. 

The first love interest for Archie was Betty; as she was moving into the redhead teens' Riverdale neighborhood in that first story. 4 issues later, Archie's love life was forever complicated when the wealthy Veronica Lodge moved into town. 

For decades, the eternal question was 'Betty or Veronica?' In 1982, the love life of Archie Andrews got even more complicated with the arrival of the spicy redhead, Cheryl Blossom. In recent years, Archie has even developed a relationship with Josie and the Pussycats bassist Valerie Smith. 

In this Valentine's Day special, a new love of Archie's is introduced. A songstress named Taylor Sweet, has become the latest pop sensation thanks to a love song based on a failed relationship with Archie. If you figured out that Taylor Sweet is a play on Taylor Swift- give yourself a cookie. Now if you can figure out if Archie is supposed to be Harry Styles, John Mayer, Jake Gyllenhaal- you win the game. Though with Archie's red hair and penchant for the guitar, the safe money would be on Ed Sheeran!

There are 3 classic Archie love-stories added to this special. Betty and Veronica take readers on a history of romance from the prehistoric age up through the Elizabethan era. Then Midge suspects that their might be some pent-up romance behind the practical joke war between Jughead and Veronica. Obviously, the real meaning behind it all is much sillier than that. Lastly, Betty and Veronica become fans of the works of a new romance novelist. Nobody knows who the writer really is. But when Ronnie finds an unpublished manuscript on Mr. Weatherbee's computer, surely the Bee can't be the hot new writer! Can he?

This was an endearing V-Day special. But it was far from perfect. For one thing, the artwork in the opening story was uneven. Taylor Sweet wasn't drawn in the Archie way. It looked like somebody drew a character from the Jonny Quest universe in with the Archie Gang. Things just didn't gel properly.

Then there is the romance novel story. It's definitely a product of times gone by. Nowadays, if a school official was revealed to be the brains behind a fiery romance novel, there would be hell to pay. Have said official share their sexy works with their students, A) the employee would be terminated and B) parents would file a lawsuit to have such works scrubbed from library shelves. I'm not being political with this statement.As a public school teacher, I'm just stating fact. 

Despite how controversial that last story could be, it was also the best of the bunch! That's because it was the work of Dan Parent, the definitive modern Archie creator! Again, just stating fact!

Dan Parent also crafted the cover. It features several of the many loves of Archie Andrews. But the truest romance on the cover doesn't even involve the world's oldest redheaded teen. It's Jughead and his affection for a properly cooked Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe cheeseburger!

Ah. Young love at it's most innocent.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #14 (Published This Year) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Red Sonja Valentine's Day Special

Love, Hyrkanian Style!

Red Sonja is the target of a love potion gone wrong. Expect lots of magic, blood and mayhem.

I'm not sure why I didn't read this when new last year. Pandemic was probably behind it. My favorite LCS may not have been open to the public. Or I was just not comfortable leaving my house at the time. But for one reason or another, I didn't own this book until sometime after February 14th.

I've got mixed feelings about this book. I really didn't have a clue where the book was going for the first about dozen pages. I didn't get the joke on the inside cover with the credits. I really thought there were 6 different short stories in this. So, I was really confused as to why the first story was so freaking long. 

Then you got the fact that Red Sonja lives in a time prior to the existence of Valentine's Day. How can this be a Valentine's Day special? Sure, 'love' is in the air and there are cupids in this book. But, it's like when there is a Flintstones Christmas Special. Christ was not born during the time of the giant lizards. These kind of anachronisms just irk me. 

The story overall was very well written. It's by Fables' Bill Willingham! Of course it's well written! I thought the middle spread of 'Red Sonja's Dating Tips' were hilarious. It too was anachronistic. But it was intended to be humorous. It did not irk me. 

I also loved the retro variant cover. Though I must be honest. I thought that Red Sonja was kissing one of the characters from Planet of the Apes. Silly me..,

Enjoyable. Not really Valentine's Day. But I see the effort and I appreciate how Dynamite Entertainment is attempting to start up a run of Valentine's Day specials. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Patrick The Wolf Boy Valentine's Day Special

From 2001, the comedic genius of Art Baltazar and Franco combine to bring fans another round of hi-jinks starring Patrick the Wolf Boy. This time around involves the holiday of love- Valentine's Day!

I'm not sure why Patrick had a heyday in the earliest of early 2000s and then just seemed to go the way of the dodo. Patrick the Wolf Boy is hilarious. Most segments are only 2 pages in length. But I laughed and laughed. 

I know that Patrick is a tribute to former child actor Butch Patrick and his werewolf character of Eddie Munster. But there's also elements of Dennis the Menace with Patrick's shenanigans and Calvin and Hobbes with Patrick and his parents, babysitter crush and school chums. 

Nothing felt stale. It was creative. It was seasonal. And did I mention it was gosh-darn funny? 

This is the second holiday special starring Patrick the Wolf Boy that I own and have read. There's about a dozen more one-shots out there and I want them all! Thanks to this special, I'm adding every one of them to my wish list now!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Fred & Bianca Valentine's Day Special

The cover says that this is the Fred & Bianca's Valentine's Day Massacre. However, the official title is called Fred & Bianca's Valentine's Day Special #1. If you are a collector of holiday themed comics, you might have to search for either in order to find it as different databases have it listed under either name.

If you become a fan of Fred & Bianca and you want more of their adventures, don't base a search on what it says in the top right corner. There's no such thing as a comic called 'X-Thieves'. Instead, you have to search for a comic called Aristocratic Xtraterrestrial Time-Traveling Thieves. I'm thinking publisher Comics Interview is guilty of attempting to monopolize on the popularity of X-Men with that little triangle blurb. As for me, I bought it strictly for the V-Day theme. And while love and romance is in the air with this book, the holiday is never once mentioned. 

Before going into the details of this issue, a little back story. Fred is the alien on the left who has the face of a horse, tail of a kangaroo and toes of X-Man named Nightcrawler. Bianca is on the right. She's human. Both are thieves that fly around in a ship able to change shape and size. And it's called a TARDIS! No lie, they really refer to Fred's Fredmobile as a TARDIS like in the big blue box from Doctor Who. 

Oh, and the pair are lovers.

Anyways, in this story, Fred and Bianca are working on their next heist when the pair run across one of Bianca's old flames. It's a bounty hunter who is still hung up on Bianca. Under the delusion that Fred hypnotized Bianca away from him, the merc kidnaps Bianca. He'll make Bianca fall back in love with him or die trying. That means Bianca too!

This 1989 special was entertaining. I'm just a bit miffed that there's nothing really holiday related. That's because this issue is a reprint of issue #5 of Aristocratic Xtraterrestrial Time-Traveling Thieves. There's also a Fred & Bianca Mother's Day Special. I'm a little hesitant to pursue it least its just a reprint of a matronly themed issue from the Indy series. 

Who am I kidding? If I found it for a buck, I'd be buying it. I'm that much of a sucker for holiday comics of any kind.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

DC's Crimes of Passion #1

You gotta love DC Comics. They might take 3 years to complete a 12 issue miniseries or cancel a title before it even goes to print. But the House That Superman Built never forgets a holiday. Crimes of Passion is DC's Valentine's Day offering for 2020 and it was a wild ride.

Featuring 10 stories starring the good, the bad, and the ugly of the DC Universe, Crimes of Passion is an 80-paged mixed bag. There's some really good stories here. There are a couple of stinkers. Plus, you've got some stories that are 'meh.' Thankfully, the majority of this special was very well done. 

My favorite story involves the lesser known character of Slam Bradley. Though he did not create the character, the late Darwyn Cooke is who I most link to Slam Bradley. A grizzled private detective, Slam is tasked to find a cat burglar stalking the rich of Gotham. For once, it's not Catwoman and it was a beautiful tale that made me miss Darwyn even more!

Speaking of Catwoman, she pits a feuding husband and wife against each other for a special heirloom. In other words, the trinket is worth a lot of money and both ex-lovers want it! As the couple are both estranged leaders of a Russian mob and passionate haters of each other, this story was quite humorous. 

I was also a fan of the Batman story. It had elements of Batman Year One and Batman: The Animated Series that made for a very noir romance story. I really liked Bruce's love interest and would really like to see her again. 

The Nightwing and Batgirl story was okay. I still haven't figured out where Barbara Gordon fits into the post-Rebirth era. There also seemed to be a page or two missing from this story as some things just didn't gel right with the plot. 

The Pied Piper story was another story that I was alright with. The ending was great. But the journey to get to that twisty last panel was long and tiresome. 

The story starring what I am assuming is the Vic Sage Question and Plastic Man were just plan awful. If there were other stories in this special that I neglected to mention, it was because they were forgettable. Now that I think about it, that Wildcat story rocked!

One thing that was quite unusual was the lack of heavy hitters. Batman does appear in 2 tales. But where's Superman? Wonder Woman? Aquaman? And no Harley Quinn? She's like the darling of DC Comics. It was really odd not having her appear in a DC special about love and romance. 

Overall, I enjoyed DC's Crimes of Passion. It was a good read to get in the mood for Cupid. You don't even have to have a Valentine to enjoy it. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 45

     It's February 14th! That means it's time for love, romance, and being with the one you love. Unless you're single and then you hate all that crap... I understand, I was in that boat myself for a very long time.

     Even if you don't like Valentine's Day, I thought it would be fun to look at the cards people were giving to one another in my favorite year. Enjoy...

Ziggy- It wasn't love or the 70s without this creation of cartoonist Tom Wilson. The bald little guy was everywhere and if you found yourself in a pinch having forgot to give your sweetie a card, Ziggy was in every drug store in America to help save the day.

Holly Hobby- Little girls loved Holly Hobby. She was like a poor girl's Barbie or her country cousin. Little House on the Prairie was big in the late 70s and Holly Hobby's Go West look cashed in on the Michael Landon hit show set in the 1880s.

Puppy Love- Animals were all the rage in the 70s. This little card was a pun as many Valentine's Day cards for children often are.

 Valentine's Fun- I don't recall every getting a Valentine's Day card like this from my mom or anyone else. But I do remember the activity card fondly. The best cards were one's where you could do fun and games and other stuff. But it was always best if the card had cold hard cash inside. This activity card allowed you to create paper dolls you could play with alone or share with friends.

McDonald's- The Home of Over a Billion (hamburgers) Served had the market on kids dining choices throughout the 70s and 80s. Though this card is from 1974, I remember these, as for several year's each Valentine's Day, you could get a set of cards from Mickey D's with purchase of a happy meal. (I seem to also remember these came with a coupon for a free ice cream sundae, but don't hold me to that.)

Reissues- For a very long time, companies would reissue the same Valentine's Day cards year after year. That's clearly not the case any more as it is faux pas to give your friends the same Pokemon Valentine two years in a row! The biggest offender was Disney. They had created numerous cards from around 1938 until the late 60s and reissue the same lot over and over and over. Here's an example of a 1960s created card for teacher that came in a 1977 Disney pack of cards:

DC Comics- Did you think I was going to pass over the super heroes? Come on now! This set of cards is highly sought after by collectors. The beautiful artwork of Dick Giordano and Jim Aparo is just stunning.
    With the first card- I'm not sure what's up with the weird and very random dots...

 I had to include this image as it features one of my all-time favorite superheroes- Supergirl. I'm not ashamed to admit it, I love Supergirl! I love the whole Superman family but I am huge fan of the Maid of Might. Poor Flash, however, stuck in the friends zone...

Oh Deer-  Now this card is interesting. I remember finding in when packing up things after my mom died. She had given this card to my dad sometime probably from 1976-78. It's another animal pun Valentine...

So that's my look at Valentines of 1977. I want to point out that yes, being a November baby and being told that I was several weeks late, I was more than likely conceived during some Valentine's shenanigans. So to commemorate that possibility, I have a little Valentine's Day card for you my dear readers. Yes, it's crude and a little irreverent but that's me to a T... Happy Cupid Day, Everyone!!!

Marvel Romance Redux: Restraining Orders Are for Other Girls

I’ve one last Valentine’s Day themed comic to review this year. Marvel Romance Redux takes classic Marvel romance comics and replaces all of the original dialogue with crazy new stuff. For example, one story has a psychotic girl becoming a scientologist in order to win the heart of her favorite action movie star. Another story has a girl secretly ratting out her friends for buying answers to college exams and ends up falling in love with the dealer.

This isn’t a new concept. I have a few books like this. They’re pretty clever, though every once in a while you get a story that’s just plain “stoopid.” In my opinion, if 75% of the redone tales are funny, then the comic is a win. Sadly, Kyle Baker writer and artist of many great comics, including his run on Plastic Man, is by far the worst of the re-storytellers.

There are at least 4 more books in the Marvel Romance Redux line. I just happened across this in a dollar box a few years back. If I find the other titles- SCORE! But, I’m not going to actively pursue the rest of the book either.

There is a series called “What Were They Thinking?!” by Titan books. I really enjoyed that series and if they ever decide to make more of them, I’ll consider paying full price for them. I advise if you like parody books like this one I just read, you should find the Titan Books series. You’ll be glad you did.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Teen Titans Go! #4 (2003-08 series)

Sure, the comic is titled Teen Titans Go, but the book is based on the original Teen Titans cartoon, not the most recent revival of the series that oddly has the same name as this comic. I’m not sure why DC did that except maybe to not cause confusion with the regular Teen Titans title which is rated for teens and is not all-age friendly as this book is.

In this issue, Cyborg and Beast Boy dare Robin to take Starfire out on a date after she discovers Valentine’s Day. Along the way, a villain that I’ve never heard of before has his sights set on turning the Titans into his very own squad of puppets.

I liked this comic. But, to be honest, I like the new Teen Titans Go series more than this one. The new series is funny and I like the art better.  The secondary story of Raven finding love with a Goth is very funny and reminds me of the current show. I will give this comic some props because the first comic based on the TV show was a “pictographic comic,” using stills taken directly from the cartoon and are not original stories. Marvel does this with the Ultimate Spider-man series and I hate it.

This original art and story Valentine’s Day special is a welcome addition to my collection. The cover does actually occur in the book and normally that is a huge pet peeve. However, I think Robin is being snogged by cupid and the Titans in the back ground are having a Valentine fight, so I think the cover is supposed to be more symbolic than a promise of dangerous love by an arrow welding vixen.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Tick’s Big Romantic Adventure

The Tick and Arthur are back in the Valentine’s Day special. First the guys battle a villain who uses a weaponized box of Whitman’s Samplers. Then a mysterious man in a diaper accidently drenches Tick in a love potion that’s caused his heart to be stolen by a bag lady. When this lady isn’t stealing everything the Tick and Arthur have that isn’t nailed down, the threesome becomes a foursome with Arthur’s girlfriend, Chet and attempt a double date.

This issue had me laughing out loud. Tick comics aren’t easy to come by- at least not on the budget I’ve imposed on myself. So, to find this Valentine’s gem was worth more than a bunch of candy hearts and pop culture Valentines in grade school. It's a totally insane adventure starting my favorite superhero to call himself The Tick!

I just wish these books were in color.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Happy Valentine's Day, 2014!!!

funny

Marvel Heartbreakers #1

 

The ladies of Marvel shine in this one-shot that could be considered a Valentine’s special of sorts. Tales starring Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy, Nextwave, Snowbird, and the Dazzler show that the ladies of the MCU are called heartbreakers for a reason. Almost all of the stories are really good. The Snowbird tale involving a pagan Eskimo wedding is the weakest tale. The girls of Spider-man and Nextwave are very funny and well drawn. The Dazzler tale which hearkens towards the end of her solo disco career is a very well-done tale of her origin with romantic overtones.

Overall, a superb one-shot that focuses on the fairer sex of Marvel.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.