Marvel Comics Presents #137

Has Iron Fist become MCP's unofficial third featured character? After two lengthy multi-parters in a row (for a total of about 27 straight issues), Danny Rand returns for a third story. Or is it a fourth straight? At least this one is a single issue tale. But still, what's with the fascination with Iron Fist in the pages of this book all of a sudden?

Poor Wolverine. He just can't have a simple vacation. After fleeing an island full of blood cultists in his last story, Logan tries to salvage his tropical holiday with a trip to an island infested with aliens! Oh. and don't forget the blue gorilla!

Ghost Rider's multi-issue adventure, he's run afoul of a trio of samurai-looking heroes called the Masters of Silence. Of course, these martial artists mistakenly believe that Ghost Rider is a demon. And technically, they're not wrong. These Masters of Silence, which are pretty talkative, just don't realize that Danny Ketch is working on the side of the angels.

Lastly, our fourth feature is another 8-page single issue story. It's got Scott Lang trying really hard to balance being a super-hero, the head of a security firm and a dad. This story read like it might have been the inspiration for 2015's Ant-Man film. Well, at least the domestic parts of the film with daughter Cassie.

The Iron Fist story was forgettable. But at least it was brief. Wolverine's segment might have some promise. I mean, it's got a navy blue primate in it for goodness sake. I like the Masters of Silence. They remind me of Marvel's very brief Shogun Warriors; albeit these guys are way shorter. And I just loved the Scott Lang story. I would have been totally fine with this one being spread out over 2 or 3 more issues.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology III #6 (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

The epic collection of ancient Norse tales by acclaimed writer Neil Gaiman comes to a close. Mischievous Loki has raised an army in revenge against Highfather Odin. Allied with Fenrir the wolf, the demonic Surtr and the Midgard Serpent, Ragnarok has begun!

This is the third comic miniseries based on Norse myth by Neil Gaiman (Sandman). The Dark Horse Comics trio of minis were inspired by Gaiman's 2017 prose collection of Scandinavian folklore in his aptly titled Norse Mythology. Published by W.W. Norton & Company, Gaiman's novel covers the genesis of the nine realms, the evolution of giants, elves and other ancient races, dives into Loki's animosity against Odin and his son Thor and ultimately Ragnarok: the final war of the gods!

In 2020, Dark Horse Comics issued forth the first miniseries based on Gaiman's collection of Norse tales. Volume I focused on the creation of Asgard and the Nine Realms. Volume II chronicles many of the most beloved accounts of bravery and deceit starring Thor, Loki, Balder and many other popular names that grace the halls of Valhalla. Folk tales about the creation of art, poetry and Northern European animals are also included. Book III is all about Ragnarok: the lead up to war, the bloody conflict and the promise of a new race: mankind!

The artist for these three miniseries is P. Craig Russell (Night Music). Russell's artwork evokes a timeless whimsy. I'm no art expert. But if I had to describe P. Craig Russell's style I would say 1920s Art Deco mixed with the posters of French commercial artist Rodolphe Salis (La Chat Noir).

It's interesting to read this account of Ragnarok and the world that arrives afterwards. I'm amazed by how similar this 'pagan' tale is to the final battle of Armageddon as foretold in the Book of Revelations. One of my favorite classes as a kid was on world mythology. Thus, I've read how Thor will slay the Midgard Serpent and how Odin will die on the field of battle.. But I didn't know that in that epic the world would be reborn along with a new version of Asgard on in the wings.

I'm always last to the party with things. I got on the Deadpool train like 10 years ago. I didn't start reading The Walking Dead until it became a TV series. And I pick up the latest issue of Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology which is the 18th and final overall issue. But you can be sure I'll be adding those remaining 17 books to my wish list!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #31 (Story of Ancient Mythology) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge. 

Dog & Hat and the Lost Polka (Family Comic Friday)

I'm pleased to introduce an adorable new series from Chronicle Books called Dog & Hat. Dog and his favorite hat, Hat embark on the adventure of a lifetime when an accident with a bottle of spot remover causes all of the polka dots on Dog's favorite shirt to disappear into the city sewer! Armed with a map, Dog & Hat seek to recover all of the lost dots before they get missing forever. But this unlikely duo had batter watch out. There are alligators in the sewer. Hungry Alligators!

I was totally drawn in by the cover of this book! With its fanciful animals, and wild color palette, book 1 of Dog & Hat's new series reminded me of the Sweet Pickles books from the late 70s and early 80s. Plus, as you can see in the corner of the cover, there's a friendly little ant. He's hiding all throughout the book. That reminded me so much of Richard Scarry's Cars, Trucks and Things That Go! In that amazing book, you were tasked with finding the tiny Goldbug who was hiding in every scene.

This book is recommended for readers in grades 1-3. I think that's a fair recommended age range as there's at least 1 scene involving one of those pesky sewer alligators that might be a tad too intense for younger readers. 

There are also a few panels where Dog & Hat are in the sewer without a flashlight. Those scenes have the lettering in dark black letters over navy blue talk bubbles. While I understand that creator Darin Shuler is trying to capture the feeling of one exploring a dark mysterious lair; those panels were kinda hard to read. 

Despite my difficulty scanning some of the pages, I love Shuler's approach to have his artwork fill the entire page. I love graphic novels that bleed over instead of using panels like a traditional comic book. This sort of art technique really helps to create an intimate environment. With lots of great Easter eggs and creative paneling methods throughout this book, I felt that Darin Shuler went the George Lucas route and created not just a story but an entire community that I would love to visit again and again. 

Dog & Hat and the Lost Polka Dots has got to be one of the most immersive reads I have come across in a very long time. There's so much going on that I feel like young readers will find something new every time they re-read this book. Like Lady Olio's store in which Dog & Hat shop, this book has everything!

Filled with laughs, this is sure to be a series that families will want to return to time and time again!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #136

 

All 3 multi-part stories come to a close in this issue.

The Iron Fist/Daughter of the Dragon adventure finally sees some action. In the vein of Jackie Chan's Rumble in the Bronx, Marvel's resident kung-fu fighters take on the Yakuza and Sabretooth among the tenements of the Big Apple.

The Wolverine/Cyber story has two results. One unexpected- a death! One expected- Cyber double-crosses Logan with typical Marvel fisticuffs!

As for Ghost Rider and Luke Cage. We get all the poop on why Darklove betrayed Mephisto and decided to become a demon of love instead of hate. It's a pretty good ending to a story that was fairly ridiculous. 

The one-shot tale involves Daredevil. I'm a few weeks behind on reviewing that which I've read. But in the case of this story, I just can't recall anything about it. Truly a forgettable story starring the Man Without Fear.

A better offering of MCP. Maybe because 3 very long stories are coming to a close finally. But still not the best issue I've read. Not even close.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #135

The one-shot story stars the Black Widow. Widow's Soviet secret agent past comes back to haunt her when a former KGB operative who did a lot of very things behind the Iron Curtain comes to the States. This butcher is afraid that the relatives of his former victims are out for revenge. So he plans on killing them first! When he starts killing friends of Natasha Romanoff, things get deadly personal. 

As for our 3 multi-parter team-ups, not really much is happening.

The uneasy alliance between Wolverine and Cyber is still in effect as they attempt to flee an island full of blood cultists. 

Ghost Rider and Luke Cage are still atop the World Trade Center battling an ancient evil. This chapter does delve a little in the origin of the former follower of Mephisto now known as Darklove. But in current time, there's very little happening except for posturing. 

As for Iron Fist and the Daughters of the Dragon vs. Sabretooth and the Yakuza. I'm starting to get bored. For 2 chapters now, it seems like the good guys have been putting together a plan of attack. Do something already! 

A ho-hum issue that felt like a waste of 15-20 minutes of my life.

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #134

There's not really much happening in the Wolverine/Cyber unlikely team-up story. Same thing goes for the Iron Fist and Daughters of the Dragon Vs. Sabretooth and the Yakuza crime thriller. 

The one and done story stars Lance Astro of the original Guardians of the Galaxy. He's on a mission to save the crew of a crashed ship. In the year 3000-ish, Astro and his teammates are at war with the Badoon. But in this story, Lance learns that not all members of that bloodthirsty race are natural born killers. Some are lovers and the Galaxy Guardian must help this intergalactic Romeo & Juliet survive a Badoon terror squad that looks to eliminate those 'pure bloods' who fall into inter-species love.

Then there's the Ghost Rider/Luke Cage adventure. I'm still not a fan of it. But this chapter is of note because of it's locale- atop the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. It's just so hard to imagine that we've been without those buildings for going on 22 years now! Anytime I come across images of those buildings in a comic (or other type of media), my mind just can't help but go back to that tragic day in September. 

The one-shot story was amazing while all three of the team-up multi-parters weren't really all that impressive. Only the setting of the Ghost Rider epic is what's really all that memorable. 

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars. 

5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (and Other Useful Guides)

Last November, I read and reviewed How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You. It was the second collection of off-the-wall web comics by cartoonist Matt Inman based on his website: The Oatmeal. I thought that book was the most brilliant thing since Gary Larson's The Far Side. It had zany, unexpected panels of comedy. There were listicles of how to's about unusual circumstances like you might see in a MAD Magazine. And it was thought provoking and entertaining while using pop culture in an irreverent way similar to Adult Swim's Robot Chicken.

Thus, in early May, when I found another collection from The Oatmeal for only a dollar, I immediately put it in my to buy pile of books. 5 Very Good Reasons is Inman's first collection of bits. I would have to say that the humorist is still trying to polish things in this volume. Compared to Plotting to Kill You, this batch of material was much more crude, with tons of penis and testicle jokes. The F-word was used to near Tarantino levels at times. And quite a few of the strips ended with someone being mauled by a bear. Often for no reason except to end the skit.

As unrefined as I found this book, I still got some laughs and enjoyment. Inman's essays on how to use apostrophes and the correct usage of words were both educational and wacky. His primers on the correct way to use English when writing should be the model for how we teach grammar in school. I felt that Inman's ability to help readers learn by the use of absurd statements was the type of learning that anyone could relate too. In fact, I've actually been able to reflect on some of those tricky grammar rules thanks to what I learned from The Oatmeal as opposed to years of schooling. 

I'm going to chalk the flaws in this book up to inexperience. I think Inman had some great ideas about where he wanted The Oatmeal to go. But at this early stage of things, he hadn't quite perfected his recipe. It's like the first season of NBC's Night Court. The light of the sets was too dim. Some of the actors hired weren't the right fit. Plus Dan Fielding was too much of a gentleman and Bull the Bailiff wasn't enough of a mutant. But once the show added Mac and Christine to the line-up and switched from video to film (or vice versa), the show really gelled in a comedy that is beloved by generations. 

I think that is what is happening with this book. While I don't plan on keeping this one, I will be on the look out for the other 7 editions of material from The Oatmeal. I just hope that those future volumes have an easier way of reading the included bonus posters without having to tear them out of the book!

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars