Boom! Studios Halloween Haunt 2015 (Family Comic Friday 2015 Halloween ComicFest Edition)

  

   Last year the BOOM! Studios mini-comic released for the Halloween Comicfest was hands

 down the best freebie release. So when it was announced a couple of months ago that 

BOOM! was doing another mini for 2015, I was very excited. Well parents, if your child is as 

thrilled as I was, I'm here to tell you that they are in for some major disappointments. Let's 

look at the three stories that comprise this volume.   

   First up is Adventure Time with Jake and Finn. Last year, the tale that starred them was 

the weakest of the three (Peanuts and Fraggle Rock made up the other two licensed stories)  

The 2014 Adventure Time short story didn't even feature any of the characters (at least, the 

ones I know of), so I didn't enjoy it so much. This year's yarn features everyone and was very 

clever. 

   When the good guys have a costume party, the Ice King feels left out. Going as himself

because none of the heroes would dare to dress up as the rogue, the Ice King puts on a

dazzling show, going so far as to win the costume contest. But how will Jake, the Princess, 

and the rest react when its revealed that the guy dressed as their archenemy is, in fact, their

most dreaded foe?  

    The second caper is based on the Cartoon Network show Steven Universe. Now I am not 

very familiar with this property, except for what little I have seen on commercials when 

watching other CN shows. Here a chameleon-like character named Amethyst, who is freeing

all of the animals from the local pet shop. This act seemingly isn't something that Amethyst

should be doing as Steven is appalled by it. Why after freeing the prospective pets that 

Amethyst keeps changing into other animals in hopes of becoming their friend is beyond 

my knowledge of this Cartoon. Also, the story has a sad ending, which was a major downer.         

    Lastly is a campfire story starring the Lumberjanes. This is my first ever encounter with 

this original comic series by BOOM! The series is about a group of campers at an all-girls 

camp. The woods that house the camp are haunted and in typical mystery series fashion, 

these ladies try to uncover weird activities that surround Lumberjanes Camp. All of what I just

told you about this series was stuff I gleaned from the Internet.

    The story that stars the Lumberjanes is 3-pages long. The first page has one of the girls 

persuading another one to tell a ghost tale. The last 2-pages involves a hunter, his trusty dog

and a malevolent black creature called the Tailypo- but no Lumberjane campers. Like the 

problem I had with last year's Adventure Time story, how can readers connect with the 

characters if they don't even star in the segment devoted to them? Lumberjanes might be 

a great series and it has won critical acclaim for being a comic devoted to girls. But what

 BOOM! had to offer me in this mini comic didn't inspire me to give it another go anytime 

soon.  

  

   After slaying the competition at last year's Halloween Comicfest, BOOM! Really dropped

 the ball this go round. This book is an all-ages title, but I'd advise you to persuade your child 

that if they only get to choose one comic during next week's Halloween festivities, go for 

the Archie book instead. It's far superior to this offering. Maybe next year... 

  

    Not Worth Consuming. 

   

   Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

The Creeps, Volume 1: Night of the Frankenfrogs (Family Comic Friday 2015 Halloween Edition)

 

 Meet the Creeps: Mitchell, Jarvis, Carol, and Rosario. Four students from Pumpkins County Middle School, who solve mysteries at their school often with disastrous results. Is it their fault that the pudding monster exploded in the school cafeteria? 

      On punishment, the Creeps must defrost the frogs intended for use in biology class. But the amphibians have disappeared much to the delight of the rest of the class. Normally, the Creeps would be on the case, but their classmates really don't want to do this assignment and they are willing to fight for it. 

     But when the students start disappearing and mechanically enhanced frogs start to emerge from the sewers, nothing will stand in the Creeps way to finally find the truth. Except maybe Tom, the new cool kid in school who always skips biology. Or is the culprit the fabled Perry Milburn, the smartest student ever to attend Pumpkins County, and is rumored to be living in the sewers, striving to create the greatest science fair project of all-time? The list of suspects is long and growing, but it should be no problem for our group of junior sleuths.  

    Night of the Frankenfrogs is the first in a series by Chris Schweizer. Just released in August, this series is great for kids of all ages but mostly suited for those aged 9-12. There're some scenes of violence and bullying. But the message of how friends can stick together and that everyone has special talents, no matter how weird is a message I surely could've used when I was in middle school.  

     I thought the story was flawless. I highly recommend it. There is a little bit of  'potty humor' but what do you expect when half the book takes place in the sewers. But hey, kids love that stuff and Schweizer toes the line unlike other popular kids series in the market. 
   
 The only thing that I wasn't really a fan of was the art. It's kinda rough. Now, it is not all bad. The Frankenfrogs are creepy cool looking. But the character of Rosario looks like a Hispanic Danny Devito in need of a shave and wearing a dress. Rosario is super strong but why make her look so manly?   

    There's a second book to this series coming in the spring of next year. The cover for ' The Trolls Will Feast' is already posted on Amazon and it looks interesting. Also, the art work looks cleaner. So with this being Schweizer's first book, maybe he just needs a little time to polish things a bit.  

   Worth Consuming. 

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Family Comics Friday Update...

Loyal readers of my Family Comics Friday article:

   Due to my work schedule tomorrow and Saturday: my two Halloween themed posts may be delayed up to Sunday. I've read the two books I plan to review for week 3 of 4 Halloween themed FCF editions but due to being chef-on-call this week, I've gotten a little behind on even getting to write my reviews ahead of time. I might be able to squeeze a review tomorrow, but I am working double shifts. So please be patient with this Madman...

 Happy Reading!

Dead Boy Detectives, Volume 2: Ghost Snow

  

 Edwin and Charles, the greatest pair of sleuths under the age of 13 in the afterlife have become a trio with the addition of the living and breathing wild child, Crystal Palace! Together, the group meets Clementine, the half-sister of Charles, in hopes of solving the mystery behind his mother's murder. As they search for clues, they trio stumble upon a conspiracy so sinister that it affects the stability of the Neitherlands, a mystical annex between this world and the next. With love blooming between Crystal and one of the Dead Boy Detectives, will they be able to focus long enough to solve all of these mysteries and possibly save the life of someone close to Crystal who was presumed dead and buried?

   Volume 2 was riveting. However, this is one of those series that if you take too long in between reading volume 1 and 2, you may find yourself needing a refresher because there is just so much going on. The combined work of Toby Litt and Mark Buckingham is so perfectly crafted, that my memory gaps were not a bother. Litt does a good job keeping the reader abreast as to what's going on without being obsessively repetitive as Marvel was notorious for doing in the 80s.

   Plus, the Masterful pencil work of Fables artist Buckingham was so hauntingly beautiful that it almost made me want to see just what a 'Ghost Snow' looks like- almost but not quite. The covers are awesome too and you finally get to see the mosaic the Buckingham has been crafting as little puzzle pieces at the end of each issue. Wicked Awesome Stuff!

   Volume 2 marks the end of this series of Dead Boy Detectives. This is the third volume so hopefully this isn't the end of their story. With Vertigo rolling out almost 2 dozen new series over the next couple of months, the odds are good (but not great) that this trio of supernatural detectives will return someday soon.

   Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Sherlock Holmes: Doctor Jekyll & Mr. Holmes

The Caliber Press Cover.
Same as Tome, except for the different logo.

  The evil Mr. Hyde is terrorizing the streets of Victorian London. On the case is the brilliant detective, Sherlock Holmes and his loyal companion, Watson. In this fantastic crossover comic thriller from Time Press, we see what might have happened if Robert Louis Stevenson collaborated with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  

   This one-shot from 1998 is Gothic storytelling at its very best. The writing of scripter Steve Jones was so perfect that I felt like I was reading something actually written by the original authors.

    I had gotten this book's in a grab bag a few months ago, holding on to it as a Halloween read. The decision was well worth the wait. The artwork by was similar to the Gothic illustrations of Sidney Paget, whose work chronicled the adventures of Holmes in the pages of the Strand Magazine. The whole package made for a delightfully spooky read.

   If this is what Tome Press' other Sherlock are like- then count me a new fan. Over the past couple of years, my love of Holmes has grown exponentially. The BBC series SHERLOCK has helped, but it's rare little treasures such as Doctor Jekyll & Mr. Holmes that has colored me Sherlocked!

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

(Addendum: In 1979-80, Loren Estleman wrote the novel 'Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Holmes.' The novel was crafted as an lost manuscript by Dr. John Watson, but kept in a security box, unpublished, due to the sensational events the journal contained. Whether this comic was written as an adaptation of Estleman's book is unclear. On the credits page, Steve Jones gives thanks Doyle and Stevenson for their creations but no credit is given to Estleman. Also, the novel was written from Watson's perspective as this comic was scripted as a letter from Holmes to his biographer. 

    In 2010, Titan Books reissued Estleman's novel to much success. Whether the novel inspired this one-shot or the publication of this comic inspired Titan to re-release the novel is a mystery worthy of Holmes and Watson's attention.)

What's Missing from the Force Awakens Trailer? A Theory About Episode VII...

  

I must confess, I didn't stay up to watch the Star Wars trailer last night during Monday Night Football. But when I got home today, I immediately went online and viewed it. As much as I enjoyed it, I was struck by a nagging feeling that I couldn't put my finger on- until now... Where is Luke Skywalker?

   This is the third trailer I have seen for Episode VII. Except for his voice, the character played by Mark Hamill doesn't appear in any of them.

    Then I kept coming back to Han Solo saying that everything you here about the Jedi is true. Consider how big a skeptic in the Force Han was in the original trilogy, what would cause him to change his tune? That's when something else finally came to the forefront of my mind about why these trailers bother me- where are all the Jedi?

   You would think 30 years after the fall of the Empire that Luke would have created an impressive collection of Jedi Knights. But the only character that brandishes a lightsaber with any confidence is the Sith character of Kylo Ren. (At this point you might be yelling at my post saying " What about Finn? Don't worry, I'm coming to him.)

    Anyway, the whole thought of lightsabers got me thinking about another new character named Poe Dameron. This guy is an X-wing pilot tasked with retrieving the weapon Luke had lost, along with his arm, in his battle with Darth Vader on Bespin in Episode V. It's been 35 years since that happened, so why would Princess Leia wait until now to make someone other than Luke fetch it unless....
( this next sentence is A) speculation, not a spoiler and B) likely to make you mad. So, you've been warned.)

... Luke Skywalker is dead.

    Think about it, We've not seen Luke in any of the trailers, there's no army of Jedi, just this mysterious Sith character, Han waxes poetic about the Jedi, and when someone finally wields Luke's old lightsaber, it's the controversial character of Finn. So here's my theory:

   Luke tried to train the next generation of Jedi, but like with Obi-Wan, his apprentice became seduced by the Dark Side, became Kylo Ren, and killed Luke. Thus no further Jedi Knights.

   The movie is titled 'The Force Awakens.' If Luke was around, wouldn't it already be up? What if the character of Finn, played by John Boyega isn't a Skywalker but the new New Hope? Thus, the Force Awakens when Leia, who has some Force abilities, sees potential in this reformed stormtrooper. His teacher? Why, the ghost of Luke Skywalker! In a twist to the original trilogy, the ghost has become the master. Since revealing Luke to be a spectre would be a major spoiler- that is why Hamill has yet to appear in any of the trailers  (He's not even on the official movie poster!!! See above right...)

   Addendum: Luke might be alive but in typical Skywalker fashion, he has turned to the Dark Side of the Force. It's possible that we've seen Luke in all three trailers, it's just we've not seen his face. This actually makes a little bit of sense as in the most recent trailer, the Sith Lord, Ren seems to be in possession of the skull of Darth Vader. But how did he get it if Luke had his father's body at the end of Return of the Jedi? That's because Luke betrayed the New Republic, became a Sith lord named Kylo Ren and joined/ started the First Order. (Yes- I know that Ren is played by Adam Driver, but maybe that's only when the character is wearing his mask! Unmasked, Ren is played by Mark Hamill. It's happened before with Vader being played by two different actors in Episode VI!)

    So that's my theory. What do you think? I know it sounds wild. But if you find that my post was blocked by Disney, then I was on to something...

Astro City, Volume 2: Confession

  Volume 2 of Kurt Busiek's award-winning series stars the Confessor and his new sidekick, Altar Boy. The duo is the Astro City equivalent of Batman and Robin. So I thought I would be reading a sort of tribute to the Dynamic Duo but with a Catholic slant to their personas. Instead, Confession is the Astro City version of Watchmen. 

    A serial killer is on the loose in the poor neighborhood of Silent Hill and the carefree superheroes of the metropolitan marvel seem unable or unwilling to do anything about it. Along with several destructive episodes of careless heroics, the inaction of the city's heroes has allowed the Mayor to sway public opinion and opened the city up to an alien invasion. Added to the chaos is the Confessor's strange behavior as he the only hero who conducts searches for the Silent Hill killer. But why does even the burg's mystical protector, the Hanged Man, shy away from this troubled Man of God in his pursuit of justice and what is the horrible secret that keeps the Confessor awake at night?

    With Halloween almost here, I thought this would be an eerie (but fun) little jaunt through Astro City. I was not disappointed. Busiek crafted not one but two great mysteries in this story. The main one about the Confessor- just who or what is he? Since this is technically the second volume of the franchise, if you view all of the comics published under different publishers as a whole and I've read all of these out of order, I already knew his secret. But I was completely unawares of the whole alien invasion plotline and so my a priori knowledge of Astro City didn't detract from enjoying this story. Also, the intimidating presence of the Hanged Man throughout this book just deepens my level of interest in wanting to know more about his origin, which after 20-years of publication, Busiek has just scratched the surface with him.

     With completing Confession, my historic tours of Astro City is now complete. Thankfully, there's an all-new series being published monthly by Vertigo. So, I'll get to make some return trips from time to time. But with the inclusion of the rare Wizard issued mini-comic #1/2 added at the end of this volume, I am all caught up on all of the classic Astro City stories. 

     This really is one of the best franchises in all of the modern age of comics. With it's timeless approach to honoring all genres and levels of comics and pop culture history, my trips to Astro City is always fresh and never do I see the same thing twice. Plus, with the very rare exception of a fill-in artist or guest writer, it's rare to have the same trio of writers and artists working on the same project for as long as Busiek, Brent Anderson, and Alex Ross have. To put the trio's 20-year run into perspective, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's longest continuing collaboration on a title, which was Fantastic Four, was only 9 years. 

     That's dedication not just to the craft but to the level of pride and care Busiek, Anderson, and Ross put into every issue of Astro City.

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.