Training Day: El Toro and Friends (Family Comic Friday)

Spinning off from the very popular series ¡vamos! (Let's Go!) comes this bilingual graphic novel from Raul the Third!

El Toro is a very popular luchador (that's a masked wrestler who combats in lucha libre style wrestling. He's about to take on the world champ. But El Toro is just too lazy to train. Thankfully, he's got encouragement in the form of his trainer, Kooky Dooky.

I recently read and reviewed the all-ages graphic novel Lowriders to the Rescue. It was the amazing artwork by Raul the Third that I was a huge fan of. I am in awe of Mexican artwork. Especially sugar skulls. While Raul the Third doesn't seem to have added any of those signature dia del los muertos decorations in this book, it's that art style I became enamored with in my previous experience with Raul the Third which flourishes throughout every page..

Adding to the wonderment of the art is the brilliant color palette used. Mega kudos to Elaine Bay for making every page explode with color.

Training Day is a little bit silly. But it's also a little bit of a travel guide about Mexican culture. Plus it's a language lesson book as well. I love that Raul the Third first has the characters say phrases first in English and then follow up in Spanish. I've read a few bilingual comics that assume that the reader knows both Spanish and English. Here, the author allows readers to see how the two sentences might be saying the same thing. But  he also shows how the voice and sentence structure can change in translation.

Training Day was published in 2021. There's currently 4 books in the World of ¡vamos! series. I think with the most current release of Tacos Today in March, 2023, that's why my local library had this and the other 4 books in the series on the new shelf. 

Amazon recommends this book for readers ages 6-8. I think that's a perfect age group for this book. If you know of a child that speaks English as their primary language and they're about to start learning Spanish in grades 1-3, get them this book! If you have a young readers in which English is a second language, get them to this book. Forget the age suggestions. Books like this one can be a valuable tool helping integrate Spanish speaking students who are learning English into the multilingual integrated classroom. 

I hope that Raul the Third continues to produce important learning tools such as this one. I also hope parents, guardians and teachers will use these books to teach both English and Spanish. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 17

I will not lie. I have an affinity for the pomp and circumstance of pro wrestling. Yes- I've grown out of my die hard devotion I've had towards those warriors of the squared circle. But, I still have favorites too. So when wrestling showed up as today's subject on that random generator, I wasn't too upset about the selection.

Let's start with my Trinity of all-time favorite wrestlers. First in my heart was the one that every kid who grew up in the 80s was a devotee of. I'm talking about Hulk Hogan. Who doesn't lampoon the Hulkster's famous routine when Rick Derringer's Real American comes on the jukebox or radio? For my Hulk ornament selection is this porcelain bauble bearing a classic photo on Hogan, along with his signature. It's so cheesy, especially because on the back of the ornament, there are a bunch of generic poinsettias. No WWF logo. No proclamation of Hulkamania. Just some red flowers that look more like what you'd see hanging from your grandma's tree. 

#2 on my list of favorite wrestlers of all-time is the 8th Wonder of the World. Yes- I am talking about Andre the Giant. Interestingly enough, there does not appear to have ever been an officially licensed ornament of Andre by the WWF or as it is now referred to, the WWE. (Vince McMahon- you need to fix this oversight!)  I found it odd but I couldn't find anything officially licensed bearing his likeness. I then turned to the Etsy route. Even doing that I could only find 1 ornament and that one doesn't even have his face on it!

Instead, this ornament from a website called Pixel has Andre's hand literally encapsulating a can of beer. The image is taken from a 1981 article about the wrestler that appeared in the pages of Sports Illustrated to show just how freakin' massive Andre was!  FYI- he stood 7'4", weighed 540 pounds with a size 56 shoe and 16 inch long hands!

#3 on my list of all-time favs is the Macho Man, Randy Savage. I really used to hate him. But during Wrestlemania IV, he turned from heel to face and won the WWF Championship. Again, I went the Esty route. However, I didn't do it because I couldn't find anything officially licensed. It's because the craft made ornaments looked better. 

The Macho Man was known for his signature phrase 'Oooh, Yeah!' Only, I wasn't a fan of how Savage looked on the ornament. Thinking the one I selected looked like a better image, I also like this bauble because orange is my favorite color. 

Now we look at an officially licensed ornament that I am a fan of. It's this pair of rubber gingerbread decorations that at one time could be found on the WWE web store. There's literally dozens of gingerbread versions of everyones favorite wrestlers. Out of the bunch, I went with a pair devoted to the tag team known as the New Age Outlaws. Aren't Bad Ass Billy Gunn and the Road Dog so adorable that you could just bite their heads off?

I want to share this set of 6 ornaments. It's not that anything about them are screaming to become a part of my tree. I share them because the set was available on a store that really caught my eye. These sparkly globes are available for sale from Hogan's Beach Shop. Yes! Hulk Hogan owns a souvenir shop down in Clearwater Fl, along with another store in Orlando. 

Finally, I can't look at wrestling ornaments without devoting as least 1 look at the world of Mexican acrobatics known as Lucha Libre. I selected this set of 4 hand-blown glass tree hangers. I've always loved the costumes and the masks look like Sugar Skulls. Sure, two of these ornaments are exact replicas of each other. But they all have different colored outfits and so fun looking!

Marvel Comics Presents #45

If you are going to own this issue, the reason why is the 8-page one-shot starring the Mr. Fixit Gray Hulk. That's because in this one shot story, the dream of every fan boy of comics and professional wrestling comes true. 

That's right! The Incredible Hulk takes on the Hulkster- Hulk Hogan. In a bizarre twist of art parallels real life, Mr. Fixit wrassles Hulk Hogan for the right to use the name Hulk!

 In real life, Marvel sued Terry Bollea for the name use of Hulk. In 1984, Marvel filed suit the WWF and Bollea. That's because up until that time, Hogan was going by the ring name of Incredible Hulk Hogan. In an agreement, Hogan had to drop the Incredible part. And he had to pay Marvel royalties for use of the Hulk part. 

By 1994, the Hulkster was tired of both the WWF and paying royalties. So shortly after going over to the WCW, the wrestler changed his name to Hollywood Hogan. He also turned from hero to heel.

This was a great story. One in which I am sure that Marvel didn't pay royalties to Hogan for using his likeness in a comic! 

A sure collector's item for any fan of pro wrestling!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Classic Toys from a Madman's Youth: Advent 2019 Day 3

For today's Advent, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite play sets from a Christmas of long ago. From the mega-popular GI Joe line from Hasbro, it's the Tactical Battle Platform!

The Tactical Battle Platform or TBP was released in 1985. Discontinued in 1987, I either received this present from Santa when I was 8 or 9. 

Being molded from gray and red, I thought this play set was an aquatic compound of the evil COBRA. But upon doing research for this project, I discovered that this was actually a fort for the good guys! 

The TBP came with a command center and landing pad for one of the Joe's smaller air vehicles. It was armed with a laser gun and missile launcher (which I don't think it actually shot the projectiles due to safety issues. But it might've...) It also had an deployable platform and a hook on a line which I had a lot of fun adventures with. Both were supposed to be used with the water vehicles in the GI Joe toy line. But I had other uses for them! (More on that shortly.)

Because the TBP was square, I often combined another childhood passion of mine with the Joes, wrestling. As the toy line had a ton of figures, I would load all of my GI Joes and COBRA foes on the TBP and perform a battle royale!

One-by-one, heroes and villains would fall off the TBP into the (in my mind) shark infested waters below. Sometimes the Joes won. Sometimes, the villains would triumph as hey, that's how it was in the wrasslin' world. But you could be sure that the hook and moving platform would be used for a twist or two saving a would-be treat for a great white from the icy waters below!

So for my Advent gift for today, I thought I would let you see more of the TBP's functions and format with a look at this TV commercial from 1986. 

Enjoy!

Is This Guy For Real? The Unbelievable Andy Kaufman

I've been fascinated with Andy Kaufman from a very young age. I remember seeing that infamous scene where Kaufman has fire thrown in his face by Jerry 'The King' Lawler as well as later getting the snot slapped out of him (again by Lawler) on the David Letterman show.

Though Kaufman died in 1984, over the past 3 decades, it seems that interest in the absurdist comedian will spark back up about every 7-8 years. His over-the-top stunts and brilliant bits of surrealism have never really left the public's interest. When such interest in Kaufman reaches it's temporary zenith, I end up reading another biography on the comedy icon.

This biographical graphic novel by Box Brown is a rare triple-triple crown for me. This is the third biography on Andy Kaufman that I have read just as it is also the third work by Box Brown that I have gotten my hands on.

While the other two Kaufman books focus more on his time as a comedian and actor, this 2018 volume, published by First Second, deals more with Andy's life-long love affair with wrestling. I really learned a lot of new stuff that I did not know about Kaufman- especially how he came to be involved with the circuit down in Memphis. I would have liked more focus on Kaufman's personal life as well as his battle with cancer. But the information Brown puts into this book was quite satisfying.

In the early 80s having a big name celebrity involved with professional (I.E. FAKE) wrestling was unheard of. These days, it's not considered unthinkable if a celeb doesn't appear on a wrestling program or premiere event to pitch a new film or music project. Why even our current President of the United States took to the squared circle prior to his political career to get in some free publicity. There can be no doubt, without Andy Kaufman, the WWF (now WWE) and showcase events like Wrestlemania would not be the cultural touchstone that they are today.

I love Box Brown's work. I've been eagerly awaiting this book for well over a year after devouring Brown's story of the video game Tetris. There's a couple of Brown's collections of fiction stories out there for me to read. But I can't wait to see what piece of pop culture history Box Brown has in store for his next work of non-fiction. (Upon further research, the answer to that pondering is Cannabis: The Illegalization of Weed in America, due in stores in April 2019.)

Worth Consuming! 

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

SummerSlam 2017 Special

Writers: Box Brown, Ryan Ferrier, Aaron Gillespie
Artists: Derek Fridolfs, Kendall Goode
Published by Boom! Studios

Epic Battles

Next to Wrestlemania, SummerSlam has been the WWF/WWE’s top showcase. Some epic battles have happened over the years at the event. Hulk Hogan & the Macho Man Vs. Ted DiBiase and Andre the Giant. Bret Hart Vs. The British Bulldog. And who can forget when the Undertaker fought the Undertaker?!

 The annual summer match-up is just a couple of weeks away. This year’s going to be a big one as it’s the 30th anniversary. In celebration of the event Boom! Studios has teamed with the WWE to bring fans the 2017 Summer Slam.

Major Talent

   The special gives background ‘stories’ to some of fans most beloved wrestling team-ups. Andre the Giant biographer Box Brown chronicles the class struggle between the American Dream Dusty Rhodes and elitist Macho King Randy Savage. D4VE’s Ryan Ferrier examines the twisted psyche of Mick Foley right before a match with the Undertaker. Looney Tunes’ Derek Fridolfs brings back those insane Australian wrestlers, the Bushwhackers. Then modern era grappler, Seth Rollins, in given nightmares by Lady Death’s Aaron Gillespie.

    Overall, these stories weren’t bad. The Mankind/Mick Foley story was a bit spastic but so is Mick Foley. I didn’t quite understand everything going on with the Seth Rollins story. But that's because I don’t really keep up with wrestling that much any more. But the stories set during the 80s and 90s were fun trips inside a scrapbook of SummerSlam memories.
 
  The artwork was pretty decent. Daniel Bayless, Rob Guillory, Fridolds, and others do some amazing work making these wrestling legends come to life. I only wish that Box Brown was allowed to give Dusty Rhodes and the Macho Man story his distinctive artistic touch. But hey, only getting the story by Box Brown is better than no Box Brown at all.

A Pessimistic New Day

   There was one story that I absolutely hated. Titled ‘The New Day’s Optimistic Odyssey’, it features the trio of wrestlers call ‘The New Day.’ My reasons were multiple. First of, all this was part 5 of a series. Okay, I get that but where are the other 4 parts to be found? So, right away, I didn’t understand anything that was going on. Why are there unicorns and marshmallow cereal everywhere?

    Secondly, and this is coming from my godson- the New Day’s gimmick is considered incredibly racist. My godson is African American and he’s told me that he and his friends had to stop watching WWE due to the New Day. He says it’s because of how the WWE portrays this stable of black gospel singing wrestlers as ‘stupid and dumb.’ I think the word he was going for was ‘stereotypes.’ But if it’s a good enough reason for my godson to not like, it’s good enough for me too!

Money Trouble

      Lastly, let’s talk price. The book retails for $7.99. In the past couple of years, I have shelled out eight bucks for holiday specials. But not for only 42-pages of material!!! It’s a special, I get it. So I could maybe pay $5.99. But eight bucks? If this was a 64-page or 72-pager, I could do it. But this price is just way too steep for me.

I suspect this one is going to wind up in bargain bins pretty soon and that's a shame. It's a decent collection of wrestling themed stories. But that price tag is going to put quite a few fans off of getting it.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Street Fighter V: Wrestling Special (Free Comic Book Day, 2017)

   In this offering from this year's Free Comic Book Day, a young fighter named Dan who's been training his whole life to be a fighter finally gets a chance to enter the ring. His opponent- a group of WWE Diva type wrestlers who want to be treated as fairly as the men wrestlers are. Much is at stake with this battle royale. For Dan- the chance to prove himself. For the ladies- a new hot tub in the women's dressing room!
    Then travel back to the 1980s when the Cold War was fought weekly on the mat of the squared circle. Here a Soviet wrestler battles an American soldier themed grappler. It looks like the pride of Mother Russia is going to win it all, thanks to the help of Mikhail Gorbachev?! Good thing our American fighter has the Gipper, 40th President Ronald Reagan, to help make this a fair fight. 
      I've never read a Street Fighter comic book before. But in the 90s, I would play marathon sessions with cousins and buddies in my neighborhood. What I remember is that Street Fighter was a martial arts themed video game. So where's all this wrestling coming from?
     Both stories were truly bizarre. Though I don't think you can get any weirder than tale starring the battling leaders of the USSR and the good ole US of A. I didn't really have plans to read this book any time soon but I got stuck in line at a drive thru forever and thankfully, I had a copy on hand. Don't ask why- but it's always good to have a book or two on hand for emerengcies such as this. 
     I laughed out loud a few times. Whether this was intentional by the good folks at Capcom and UDON Entertainment or not, is unknown to me. But it did give me a few chuckles. 
        With some racy art and a couple of scenes of guys getting kicked in the nuts, this is not an all-ages comic. But if you are a wrestling family, this book with be right up your alley.

       Worth Consuming!

       Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Andre the Giant: Life and Legend by Box Brown

  I just love to be the first person to check out a book from the library. It’s like you’re starting a legacy or something. I’d read some reviews of this book a while back and put this on my ‘to read’ list. Then, just a couple of days ago, I saw this on the processing desk so I decided to hang around a little bit to see if it would go out. My snooping paid off as 30 minutes later; I snatched this book off the rack from shelving before it even hit the floor!

  As a kid I would say I had two favorite wrestlers- Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. As a kid, I was taller than the rest of my classmates and a heck of a lot heftier. So, I really could relate with Andre’s humongous size. Years later, I would stop watching wrestling but I still held a fondness for Andre- so much that when my cat Sarakit had kittens a few years back, we named the biggest of the litter Andre.



Had to include a pic of Andre- my little shadow cat. He's so big.

This book is an interesting read into the life of a man that was bigger than life and lived every day that way too. He had acromegaly and it caused him to never really stop growing. That also was a death sentence for him as the excess stresses took a toll on his joints, heart, and ability to age. One thing I didn’t know was that he had a ranch in nearby Ellerbe, NC. That’s about a 2 hour drive and is now on my list of places to road trip too.

There’s some R-rated language and some very bawdy anecdotes about Andre. The man loved to drink, mingle, and play cards and fight. But above all else, he loved to put on a show. The story has some great moments and some very sad ones. But, I wouldn’t trade my experience seeing him on TV as a kid and I wouldn’t forgo the opportunity I got reading his biography first.

Not for all ages, but definitely a fun read for fans of wrestling in the 70s and 80s.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.