Space Ark #1

 I’m not even sure where I got this issue from. It’s not really something up my alley. It’s a insipid funny animal’s book that parodies everything from Star Trek to Gilligan’s Island. The jokes are so old, they’ve got dust on them and I could literally hear groans when I read them. Yes, I am sure, they’re went mine!

About the only thing going for it is the art. It’s very clean and expressive. The creators of this series Ken Mitchroney and Mark Cantrell cite Bob Clampett of Beanie and Cecil fame as their inspiration but there is quite a bit of Don Bluth (All Dogs Go to Heaven and An American Tail) in this as well. That’s also the only reason I’m going to keep this.

The art would lead you to believe that this is an all-ages book. However, there is quite a bit of sexual innuendo, especially regarding the Space Ark’s sole female crewmember. Plus with references to gambling, smoking, drinking, and wild partying, I’m going to say this is for ages 12 and older. There isn’t any swears or graphic sex (and yes funny animal comics do have sex in them sometimes See: Fritz the Cat) so it’s not like it a youngster does read this that they’re going to turn into raving lunatics.

Besides, this is an Indy comic from 1985 and as far as I know, this is the only such issue I’ve ever come across.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Legends of the DC Universe 80-Page Giant #1

The 80-page giant-sized comic- that was a thing of beauty and sheer joy! A 100-page comic was even better but regardless, when you got one of these you knew you were in for a treat. They were affordable anywhere from a buck to $1.25. You’d always get at least 4 stories, maybe more per issue. One or two stories would star a A-lister superhero (like Superman or Batman), one tale would be from a middle-tier character (maybe Green Arrow or Aquaman) and another tale would be from a more obscure character that was pretty weird but a cult favorite (like Metamorpho or Deadman.) I absolutely loved them and you usually could find these in bargain bins for dirt cheap.Since Legends of the DC Universe is trying to evoke some of the nostalgia with these untold tales of the DC superhero elite, it seemed natural that their first special would be a Giant. If you read the letters page in issue 3, the editors revealed that they had tons of responses for characters that fans wanted to see highlighted. Some were perfect for a multi-story arc while some just were A-list material to carry this series all by their lonesome. So, this special was created to give the people what they wanted without sending LOTDCU into the economic crapper.

The premise follows a time-travelling hero called Chronos. I am pretty sure, he’s not the yellow and green masked arch-villain of the Atom but I am not sure. A mysterious time-travelling alien approaches Chronos in hopes of keeping him from robbing a sacred tomb. To try to dissuade Chronos into doing the right thing and not sell the tomb’s artifacts to Vandal Savage, the pair goes through-out time and space viewing the adventures of some of the most classic DC characters around.

With Chronos, prepare to see the Spectre ease the conscious of a guilt-ridden survivor of the Titanic, thrill with Adam Strange as he teleports from earth to across the stars to save the planet Rann. Learn the secrets of Hawkman and Hawkgirl’s ability to speak with birds while discovering how Rip Hunter keeps surviving his dangerous trips through time. Lastly, grieve with Beast Boy over the loss of his teammates, the Doom Patrol while you experience the first ‘unofficial’ team-up of the New Teen Titans.

This issue is a who’s who of talent, including Steve Ditko, Dave Gibbons, Joe Kubert, and  Marv Wolfman, and George Perez. It’s loaded with some of the greats.

I really enjoyed this special. It’s a shame that DC didn’t make more of these but there’s always nostalgic comic collectors and hope. So, who knows, maybe it will come back again.

Oh, and the revelation as to who Chronos’ mystery traveler is- brilliant. Just absolutely bloody brilliant and it was the icing on the cake!

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Legends of the DC Universe #3

The U.L.T.R.A. Humanite has been discovered but with his ability to shift into anyone’s body, it’s not a deadly game of cat and mouse between Superman and this mysterious killer. The target is Luthor. The motive is revenge. As much as Superman would love to have Lex Luthor out of his hair and finally brought to justice, he’s sworn to protect every citizen of Metropolis no matter how dirty they are.

The final climax between the Man of Steel and the Humanite is epic. I don’t want to spoil what happens but it’s awesome. I thought the entire issue was pure genius and the Ultra-Humanite story ended with a bang. I cannot wait to read the rest of this anthology series.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Legends of the DC Universe #2

Someone is targeting Lex Luthor! Whoever it is, they’re the bravest person in Metropolis. Hoping to catch this ‘killer’ before it’s too late, the head of LexCorp security asks to team with the Man of Steel. As much as Superman would love for somebody to finally take Luthor out of the picture once and for all, his code of ethics prevent him from allowing an innocent life be taken, even if that life belongs to the city’s biggest dirt bag.

I really enjoyed this second issue. The duo of the security guard and Superman is a team-up that I’ve never really seen before. At least involving the Last Son of Krypton. The only thing is that Luthor’s thugs neat beat the crap outta Lois Lane and the security chief admits it as well as goes out and confirms that LexCorp had something to do with the scientist’s death in issue #1. Why Superman does just arrest Luthor is beyond me! Other than that, I really like this storyline.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Legends of the DC Universe #1

  So I started a new series. It’s new for me, this series actually started in 1998 and ran for 3 years. The premise is kinda cool. It’s based on Legends of the Dark Knight in which artists and scripters who have teamed previously for classic runs or the newly formed combination of ‘dream teams’ create never before explored stories of Batman’s early career. Now for DC Universe, just substitute the Dark Knight for just about any possible character or team that has graced a DC comic since 1938!

Speaking of 1938, the first issue and the first story arc star the very first superhero, Superman. In this story, Superman takes on a slightly different Ultra-Humanite than we’re used to. In the classic comics, the Humanite might be Lex Luthor, having placed his brain in a younger body. Later, Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti will portray the Humanite as a scientist with a dread disease whose brain gets trapped in an albino gorilla and he goes nuts and turns evil due to the horror of his new predicament.  But this story takes place almost a decade before the Conner/ Palmiotti tale will, so most of the backstory is taken from the Pre-Crisis comics.

 Though the Humanite doesn’t appear in this issue, his origin is set up. A scientist on the verge of a major medical discovery that will lengthen the life of the average person is approached by associates of Lex Luthor to buy his technology. The scientist refuses and so Luthor handles it in the way he knows rejection best- kill and steal.

You might notice a green ring on Luthor’s finger in a couple of panels and later it’s gone. That’s because during the John Byrne run of Superman in the 80s, Luthor kept a ring made with Kryptonite on him to keep Superman at bay. The ring’s radiation later gives Luthor cancer and he loses his arm to the kryptonite. So, I’m assuming that Luthor is interested in this life extending tech thanks to his cancer. It’s a pretty cool Easter egg.

I liked this premier issue. It starts a little slow, but it shows Luthor as his worse and Superman at his very best saving the citizens of Metropolis from calamities caused by a Toyman knock-off. The art is super clean and styled very similar to Byrne’s stuff. I thought it was a visual stunner. True, the main ‘villain’ that the story arc is titled after is nowhere to be found. But let’s be honest, the real crook is Luthor.

Great stuff that’s Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

I'm Broke(n)

Well folks, I was planning on starting a series on my trip to Geppi's Entertainment Museum starting tomorrow but that's on hold. In fact, quite a bit of what I do is on hold for a while. See I broke my foot today. My foot had been sore for a couple of days and today, I went up to give my wife a kiss during the meet and greet session at church. I did fine getting up the stairs, but on my way down, I felt (and heard) a loud and painful pop!

  I managed to break at least 1 bone on my right foot (5th toe AKA pinkie toe), I also may have done some damage on the joint just below the bone I broke. I can't weight bear and I have to use crutches which is really hard as I have carpal tunnel from having broke my wrist in 3rd grade and now I am a chef for a living.

  I need to schedule with a podiatrist tomorrow to find out whether I will need surgery or not.

  Until then, I'm going to do my best to keep on blogging and reviewing but it's not so easy in a large boot to get around. Hopefully, this recovery will be swift and getting a lot less painful than it is right now.

All-New X-Men, volume 3: Out of Their Depth (Marvel Now!)

The tear in the fabric of the original X-Men line-up is beginning to show when the Angel takes Old Cyclops up on his offer to join the New Xavier School for Mutants. Meanwhile, the mutants become the target of the Uncanny Avengers when Mystique and Sabretooth go on a crime spree robbing banks as the original X-Men. Then Jean Grey gets a terrible taste of how powerful and dangerous her phoenix powers will be when she loses control in an attempt to apprehend the rogue mutant Bonnie and Clyde.

I really love this series. I also like its sister title Uncanny X-Men quite a lot. Both are masterfully scripted by the great Brian Michael Bendis. The art is also quite good; being both classic retro and modernly striking. I’m now caught up on both series. Hopefully, the next volume of both will become available at my local library very soon.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.