Sherlock Holmes #1

This is one of those comics in which if it wasn't for the group's I participate in on Facebook, I wouldn't have known that it existed. When I saw this posted as a comic convention find by a fellow group member, I was so jealous. I immediately went to the net to purchase a copy for myself. Needless to say, it wasn't cheap. So, I held off on getting the book and I waited.

  My wait wasn't very long as I found a decent good- to- very good copy for only a buck! I'm pretty sure I yelled out “MINE!”, even though I was the only customer in the store at the time. That's how bad I wanted this issue.

  This issue, dated October 1975, is based on the writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, adapted by Dennis O’ Neil, who at the time of publication was doing masterful mystery work on various Batman series. So he was the perfect choice to head this up. The gothic style cover art is by superstar artist Walt Simonson (Thor) with interiors by Filipino artist E.R. Cruz. I'm not very familiar with Cruz and what little I could find about him could fill a postage stamp. But he did do some work on a variety of DC'S lesser known horror titles and his work here is really good.

  Sherlock Holmes #1 is divided into two parts. Part one retells Doyle's ‘The Final Problem’ in what was to be the last ever story between Holmes and his arch-enemy, Professor Moriarty. I've read the story on which this part was based and the adaptation was quite good.

 Part two covers a story that I have yet to read in prose form, ‘ The Adventure of the Empty House.’ That story marked Holme’s return after a brief hiatus in which fans of the detective went bonkers and demanded that Doyle resurrect his most famous creation. To rate the story on its merits alone, the solution to how Holmes survived his encounter with Moriarty was OK. But his reasons for faking his own death were actually quite brilliant.

  The biggest surprise about this issue is that not only is it the first issue, it's the only issue. I'm not sure why it didn't catch on with readers. And no this wasn't a one-shot as there's a plug for issue #2 at the end of the book. And no- this title wasn't a victim of the DC implosion as that didn't occur until 1978. (Speaking of book endings, there is a great article about Sherlock Holmes in fiction and film at issue's end that was really interesting. Be sure not to skip it!)

 A fun read that is best read at night. A must for fans and collectors that consider themselves a member of the Baker Street Irregulars.

  Worth Consuming.

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

   

Robin Hood (Family Comic Friday)

   This graphic novel retelling of the legend of Robin Hood is unlike any I've ever encountered. These stories are similar to those retold in numerous films and TV shows I seen over the years. But since this book is retold and researched by historians, professors, and librarians I am inclined to believe that these adventures are the true stories behind the legend of the famous British outlaw. 

   In this graphic novel, learn why Robin Hood had to flee to Sherwood Forest and came to form his band of Merry Men. Then marvel as he outwits wealthy noblemen, corrupt clergy, and the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham. Along with the tried and true stories of how Robin came to befriend Little John and become entranced by the beautiful Maid Marian, there are adventures in this book that I had never heard of before such as how Robin Hood tricked a bishop into marrying a duchess to a commoner and Robin's feast with the Sheriff as guest of honor! 

   Plus, there's a certain episode involving an archery tournament with more twists than ever before! Oddly enough, while I felt like I was getting the real story of England's most famous outlaw, Robin's main protagonist, Prince John is nowhere to be found in this book. Was he just overlooked? Or maybe he really didn't play a role in any of the original legends of Robin Hood!

   This book was written by the husband and wife team of Aaron Shepard and Anne L. Watson. These folklorists made Robin Hood seem a lot more animated than Disney's take and it was far superior to that dud starring Kevin Costner! The art's pretty good too.

      This book is just one of several graphic novels published by Stone Arch Books based on famous legends and classic novels. If they are anything like this volume, I would be happy to add them to my collection. Each book comes with additions in the back of the book such as study questions, history lesson about life in medieval England during the times of when Robin Hood may have lived in real life, as well as writing exercises and a glossary of terms.

    Teachers and homeschooling parents, I highly recommend this book as a way to get kids reading and learning about history. Kids these days are turning away from books in droves and you've got to start making reading fun again somewhere. 

   A great educational read that was thrilling and tons of fun.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

X-Men: Battle of the Atom

 A few months ago, I noticed that both the collected volumes of Marvel NOW series All-new X- Men and Uncanny X-Men were missing a couple of issues. Battle of the Atom is the work that collects those missing issues. A couple of issues of Wolverine and the X-Men ( along with the 2-issue miniseries of Battle of the Atom) are contained within this volume as well. I assume that those issues are missing from the Wolverine trades, but my library doesn't carry that series, so I'm not sure if this is the case.

   I was really excited to finally get this book as I have waited forever for it. I had requested that my local library carry this book since before Thanksgiving and it took until late last month to finally arrive.  But it was worth the extra wait.

    Pressure mounts for the original X- Men to return to their own time. With no one to trust, Jean Grey and Scott Summers make a run for it. But on their tails are a group of X-Men claiming to be from the future. They to want to see the original Children of the Atom returned to their proper place on the timeline.  Only this group of X-Men  more vindictive and cunning in pursuit of their goal, leads Wolverine to smell a rat and do something he never thought he'd do in a million years- team up with the present's Cyclops band of mutant freedom fighters in order to save and protect the first X-Men from being wiped out of existence.

   Battle of the Atom was an epic adventure that pits multiple X-Men teams from across the decades. The only team missing it seems is the Giant-Sized X-Men team created by Chris Claremont in the mid-70s.Written by Brian Michael Bendis, with Jason Aaron and Brian Wood, this trio actually gives Claremont a run for his money on this. The artwork lead by Frank Cho and Stuart Immonen was really good too. However, the last two chapters seemed to have a different inker as the art didn't quite look as clean as the rest of the book.

    Essential reading and a must to complete your Marvel NOW X-titles run, especially if you are collecting only the trades.

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

   

iZombie #1 Special Edition

   Let's look at the facts: 
   
    I love Michael Allred. His art is so clean, so retro, so kitsch. 
    I love Laura Allred who colors and sometimes inks husband Michael's art.
    I've only read a couple of iZombie issues or stories and I love them!
    Yet for some reason, I've not been able to get into the iZombie TV show on the CW!

   I think the problem is that the show is live-action and with the exception of the opening credits, the series doesn't feature the artwork of the Allreds and I think that's the big selling point for me.

   This Special Edition reprint of the first issue of iZombie was released to co-incide with the premiere of the CW series in March of last year. But I wasn't able to get my hands on a copy until a couple of weeks ago when I finally found a copy in a dollar bin. It's not that I didn't look for this when it came out last year, I did. But at the two or three comic shops, I went on the hunt for this, they had sold out pretty quick.

     iZombie is the story of Gwen. By day, she's the leader of a grave digger crew at a cemetery. By night, Liv's digging up the bodies she buried earlier in the day in order to feed on their juicy delicious brains and to prevent from going full on zombie on somebody living. But when she feasts, she inherits some of her meal's memories temporarily. When she learns that one of the corpses she consumed was murdered, she decides to take it upon herself to solve his murder! 

     I think this is another reason I'm not into the TV series. Other than having the main character eat brains and use that information to solve crimes, the series and the comic are two different things. Why they don't even feature the same characters. The main character of this comic is named Gwen. The heroine of the TV show is named Liv and she works as a criminologist for a living! 

   I know some folks will say that I'm being too sensitive and that there's no reason why I can't like both. Well, that's just dumb, folks. That's like saying if I like steak, then I'll love liver. They might both come from the same animal but while steak is delicious, that irony piece of rubber called liver is just nasty. 

   That's kinda how I feel iZombie. iZombie: the comic book is now going on my wish list for my comic book collection: it's wicked fun. iZombie: the Series is on my to-do list if the show ever goes into rerun syndication but what little I've seen so far is a little too hokey and a tad too much like a Dawson's Creek for the undead. I'll probably get to it but it's on the backburner for now.

   As for why this is a Special Edition comic, this issue has a couple of articles about the making of the TV show and I think there were one or two pages of unused art from iZombie #1. But in terms of any director's cut added scenes, you will not find them in this book. But with the success of the show, the price of issue #1 has jumped to about $20-35 bucks, so this is a good starting point with this more affordable reprint.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Free Comic Book Day, 2016

May this issue of Superman/Batman #3 remind you that there's only 3 days until Free Comic Book Day, 2016!

Uncanny Origins #14

 Here it is, the final issue of Uncanny Origins. The subject of this closing chapter is the martial artist Iron Fist. The hero might seem an odd choice to star in the last issue but at the time of this issue's publishing, Marvel had just come out with a new Heroes for Hire series in which Iron Fist was the star. Unfortunately, like Uncanny Origins, that series didn't last very long either with only 20 issues produced. 

   The Iron Fist featured in this issue is the 70s version of Danny Rand. Filled with anger over the murder of his father and later tragic death of his mother, young Danny sought vengeance when he was taken in by the kung-fu mastering monks of K'un-Lun. While I don't mind this version of Iron Fist, I must say that I prefer the more zen-like Danny Rand whose been occupying the Marvel Universe for the past 15 years. 

   This was a good issue with a flawless story and that's all because it's written by 70's comic master Len Wein who returns to character he co-created. The art by M.C. Wyman was quite good too and I liked his work on this series a lot more than Marc Campos whose style was very 90s and by that, I mean that the proportions were all wrong. But I would have liked to have Dave Hoover, this series first artist, back to do an animated style take on the kung-fu hero.

   Regardless of any of my nitpicking, this issue did something that is a mark of great comic book crafting in general- it got me interested in collecting and reading the 90s Heroes for Hire series as well as possibly delving into the original 70s series that later fused Iron Fist with Luke Cage, Powerman in one of the collect buddy cop comics of all-time. 
   
   Sweet Holy Christmas!

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Uncanny Origins #13

Daredevil is one of those characters that I didn't like at first. But after reading Mark Waid’s epic run on the Man Without Fear over the past couple of years, I've become a big fan. Why if I had Netflix, I'd be all over that show. And I must admit, I loved the Affleck Daredevil picture, though my admiration had more to do with the eye candy that is Jennifer Garner’s Electra more than anything else…

  This issue of Uncanny Origins uncovers the origin of Daredevil. Though to be honest, this is more Matt Murdock's story than a legend of the Hero of Hell's Kitchen. But that's more than OK with me. Bob Budiansky (Sleepwalker) does an excellent job crafting a tale that gives living props to Stan Lee and company. And the artwork by M.C. Wyman, a former artist on Daredevil was a great choice. He rendered all of those great Silver Age characters that comprised Matt's normal life: Battlin’ Jack Murdock, Foggy Nelson, and Karen Page.

   Oh, how I miss Karen Page. Such a sad story but man was she a ray of sunshine in the oft too tragic life of Daredevil.

   If you only could choose one issue of this series to read, I would recommend this one! It's that good and it's got that spirit of the original Marvel bullpen that's been missing for way too long.

 Worth Consuming.

 Rating: 10 out of 10 stars. Who am I kidding? This one goes to 11!