31 Days of a Batman Halloween- Today's theme- Skeleton!

A Madman's Halloween 2017 Reading List... (Part 1)

It's that time of year again. The days get shorter. The nights get longer. A chill is in the air and soon, the Witching Hour of October 31st will soon be upon us.
And with that I have crafted my 2017 Halloween reading list to help get more in that spooky spirit of All Hallow's Eve. I spent all last night combing my vast collection of over 9,000 books to conger up a few scares. I've grouped my reads into different categories in order to help those of you be inspired to find the right spooky comic book for your countdown to terror. So read on if you dare...

For the Kiddies...

All of these books were selections from the 2016 Comic Book Halloween Fest held in comic shops nationwide. The next such event is scheduled for October 28th. For an look at those titles click here...

Disney's Great Parodies: Mickey's Inferno (Mini-comic)

This is a Disney-fied version of Dante's Inferno. Reprinted and translated from it's original Italian, the book is a parody of Dante's Inferno, about a young man's trip to Hell. Only the opening chapter to the Papercutz graphic novel, the book is recommended for ages 6-11! I'm not kidding, that's what Amazon says. Well, might as well get the kids started on the classics early in life.

Grumpy Cat and Pokey (Mini-comic)

The world-famous cat behind a 1,000 memes has his own series of comics with his brother Pokey. Despite the Friday the 13th cover, this book is geared for readers of all-ages and the series is a million times funnier than anything Garfield.

Grimmiss Island (Mini-comic)

From the Art Baltazar and Franco, the minds behind such titles as Tiny Titans and Itty Bitty Hell Boy comes Grimmiss Island. The star of the book is a sort of tiki god golem that protects his creators from the evil volcano gods. For readers 8-12.

Archie's Mad House (Mini-comic)

Archie has been a mainstay of the Halloween Comic Fest since it's inception. Tons of collections devoted to Archie and all of his Halloween and other holiday stories can be found online and comic shops the world over.

The Three Stooges Halloween Hullabaloo

You'd think that this generation of young readers wouldn't be open to the Stooges. Yet, it's been a successful series for several years now. Who would've thought? It's great to see that some classics don't die away. Suggested readership is 8-12 years of age.

For Teens and Up...

Yes, the comics offered at Comic Book Halloween Fest aren't just for kids- there's books for teens and adults given away for free.  Here's a look at some selections from last year's event.

The Haunted Mansion #1

Part of Marvel's Disney Kingdoms series, this is a reprint of the 2015-16's miniseries devoted to the 999 spooks of the Haunted Mansion. For ages 12 and up.

You Choose the Story When You're the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1

I'm pretty sure that this isn't a Halloween themed story. Every once and a while, one of these gets added to the Halloween Fest mix. I don't particularly like it when this happens, but it's a Choose Your Own Adventure type comic and when I saw this last year, it literally was crying out for me to take it home. 12 and up.

John Carpenter's Tales For a Halloween Night, Volume 2

If you don't know why John Carpenter and All Hallow's Eve are as synonymous as peanut butter and jelly, google the words 'Michael Myers' right now! (I'll wait...) This selection of stories is from his award winning anthology series featuring the talents of Stephen King, Steve Niles, and many more. Recommended for ages 14 and up.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 10 #8

Not an offering from Comic Fest. But this continuation of the Joss Whedon series is perfect for this category. It seems that Buffy becomes a sort of cultural touchstone for people once they become teenagers. I bought this in a bargain bin for a buck just because of the Halloween cover. We shall see if it's a holiday themed story...

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And that will wrap up part one of my list. In part two, I take on the adult books as well as some classic scares.
Over the month of October, check out my personal blog Madman With a Book where I will be posting my reviews of these books as well as many other titles,
I hope this list will inspire you to seek out some comic and graphic novel frights in time for Halloween. If you have any suggestions of you own for what makes the perfect Halloween reading list, please post theme in the comments section below...

31 Days of a Batman Halloween- Today's theme- Haunted House!

31 Days of a Batman Halloween- Today's theme- Candy!

31 Days of a Batman Halloween- Today's theme- Magic!

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 274

It's been quite a while since I have had a chance or interest in keeping up with my A Madman Turns 40 posts. I'm not feeling my age as much as just all of the crap of the past several weeks just haven't motivated me to reflect on the past while heading towards the future. 

Well, that all changed today. See today marks the debut of a favorite character of mine from when I was a very little kid. The character in question is from the very television show that has inspired the name of my blog- Doctor Who. And that character is...

K-9.

Just who is K-9? K-9 is the Doctor's robot dog. He first appeared on the BBC on October 1st 1977 in the first chapter of the classic Tom Baker episode The Invisible Enemy. Ever since his introduction, the character has been voiced by John Gleeson. Though technically, there have been four K-9s over the past 40 years.

• The Mark I is the one that debuted 40 years ago today. He left the show with Leela when she decided to stay on Gallifrey in the 1978 episode The Invasion of Time.
• The Mark II first appears in The Ribos Operation. This model was more articulated and much more mobile. He was damaged while the Doctor and his Time Lord companion Romana were in E-Space. Upon being repaired, K-9 and Romana stayed there. Depending on if you believe the audio dramas are canon or not K-9 is still in E-Space or he and Romana are not on Gallifrey. 
• The Mark III was a gift from the Doctor to Sarah Jane Smith. The pair had a number of adventures until disrepair caused the unit to break-down. In the David Tenant episode School Reunion, the Doctor fixed K-9 only for the loyal dog sacrifice his life to save the Doctor and Sarah Jane.
• The Mark IV was given to Sarah Jane at the end of School Reunion. This version made a few appearances on the Sarah Jane Adventures. But due to licensing issues, K-9 was shown to be in outer space trying to patch up a black hole.

Well that's my look at 1977 for today. Before I go, I want to present to you a video of some of the trailers for the Invisible Enemy, the first appearance of K-9. Enjoy!

31 Days of a Batman Halloween- Today's theme- Ghosts!