Cardboardia 2: This Side Up (Family Comic Friday)

I was very impressed with the 2021 debut of Cardboardia. It tells of 4 kids who learn of a link between our world and a world made of cardboard thanks to the quartet falling into a cardboard box. In the first book, Pokey was separated from her siblings and found a friend. Meanwhile, the three older kids discovered an ancient board game called 'Cardboardia' that had their images on the cover. 

Book 2 has Pokey trying to find her friends while the other kids are pondering on just how to play the game they've discovered. Meanwhile, the wicked ruler of Cardboardia has discovered the location of the interlopers from our world and is attempting to apprehend them. This results in the group getting even more split up and unexpectedly, it also means a return to the world of dirt and rock for 2 of the friends!

12 months or so is just too long between volumes. I had a little bit of trouble recalling what had happened previously. But I also noticed that the tone of this book had changed. 

I learned at the end of this book that when co-creators Richard Fairgray and Lucy Campagnolo were making volume 1, they were together. But volume 2 was crafted in the middle of the throes of the pandemic, resulting in the pair being separated. On two separate sides of the Atlantic Ocean, Richard was working on the book in the mornings in the States and Lucy was completing work in the evenings from her locale in Europe. 

This kind of disconnect made for an uneven read which probably would be even more noticeable if I had read these first two volumes back-to-back. 'This Side Up' does offer an origin story of the evil ruler of Cardboardia and it adds some more intriguing mysteries to the story. It's just that some of the magic from the debut volume is missing here in book 2 and I think you have to blame COVID for that.

Book 3 is on the way. Just not sure when it will hit stores. Hopefully it won't take as long as it did for book 2 to hit bookshelves. (To be fair, this book came out in November, 2022. It took me until May, 2023 to find it! But still... long time.) Fairgray and Campagnolo promise that they've been reunited now that travel restrictions have been lifted. I just pray that the magic returns now that they're back together!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Kobra #5 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

The international terrorist known as Kobra desires to rule the world. But in order to do that, he must kill a few people first. One of those roadblocks is Kobra's very own twin brother, Jason Burr. There's only one small problem, any time Jason or brother Jeffrey, Kobra's real name, experiences any pain, the other mysteriously feels it!

Jason Burr doesn't understand why sometimes he'll be perfectly fine at home or work and then WHAM!- it reels like someone hit him upside the head for no reason. But Kobra knows of the connection between the two siblings and that's why as much as Jeffrey Burr would love to kill his twin, he just cannot. Because if Jason dies, so will Jeffrey!

The character of Kobra was co-created by Jack Kirby and Steve Sherman during Kirby's early 70s tenure at DC Comics. Sherman took elements of Vincent Price's vengeful Dr. Phibes and crafted a story in which a villain was the main character. Sherman also added the very Kirby moniker of King to the character and in his earliest incarnation, Kobra was referred to as King Kobra. 

When King Kirby took a look at the script, he was mostly unimpressed. But the comic book legend saw promise in the character and working with Sherman, Kirby tweaked the character. The psychic link between siblings was taken from Alexandre Dumas' The Corsican Brothers and brother Jason was created to be the yin to Korba's yang. 

Within days, Steve Sherman retooled the script and Jack had the first issue written and drawn. And then Kirby went back to Marvel. In the midst of Kirby's return to the House of Ideas, the Kobra project was shelved. Finally, in late 1975, the book was given over to Martin Pasko who absolutely hated the whole thing. Most of Kirby's script was replaced. Artist Pablo Marcos was assigned to retool some of the King's pencils. And ultimately, the character was named as simply 'Kobra.'

Issue #5 sees Kobra working multiple schemes simultaneously. First of all, the terrorist is planning a gigantic earthquake that promises to destroy all of the state of California. But how this plan makes him ruler of the earth is still unclear. Next, Kobra attempts to kill off anyone who might be getting close enough to his ultimate plans. This includes San Francisco private eye Jonny Double, whom Kobra operatives try several times unsuccessfully to assassinate. Lastly, Kobra is developing a way to sever the bond between him and twin Jason. But the villain has got to act fast as brother is on his way from the Big Apple to stop Kobra once and for all.

Only 2 more issues of Kobra would be produced. Poor sales sparked by early rumors of cancellation were the main culprits. One could argue Martin Pasko's half-hearted approach to the script was another culprit. '...It was a preposterous exercise dumped on my lap,' Pasko once remarked. Fans were given some semblance of closure as elements of the scraped 8th issue were printed in the pages of DC Special Series #1.

Jeffrey Burr would eventually find a way to break free from his bond with Jason. Kobra would then kill his brethren; though the villain was never truly free from Jason as the crime-lord was forever haunted by visions of him. Kobra would late clash with characters such as Batman, Wonder Woman and the Justice Society of America before meeting his demise at the hands of Black Adam in JSA #51. In a strange twist of fate, Kobra was reborn with followers re-animating Jason Burr to become their new leader!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #27 (Villain is the Main Character) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

G.I. Joe Special Missions #1 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

"There are some missions so secret, so sensitive that even the Joes who go on them are told only the bare minimum, on a strictly need-to-know basis. As far as the other Joes are concerned, these missions never existed. These are the G.I. Joe Special Missions."- from G.I. Joe #50

G.I. Joe Special Missions was the first spin-off of the wildly popular Marvel Comics series based on the legendary Hasbro action figures. Of course, the main goal of this comic was due to the dollar signs both Marvel and Hasbro saw with the production of a sister title. But for writer Larry Hama, it was a chance to write slightly more grittier stories. In a Raleigh, North Carolina comic con panel, Hama told the audience (that I was a part of) that with the main G.I. Joe series, he was tasked with featuring the newest toys being released in the line. With Special Missions, since the enemies weren't just from Cobra, but conventional terrorists as well members of the Soviet Army, Hama was able to write those clandestine war stories that he always wished to write starring your favorite Joes. 

The spin-off was first introduced as the backup feature of the anniversary special 50th issue of G.I. Joe. In the 'pilot', a commercial jet hailing from San Francisco is hijacked by Russians. Calling themselves members of the Leon Trotsky Brigade of the Fourth National, the terrorists plan on flying the plane into the Soviet Union and crashing the ship into a chemical warfare depot, making the flight the ultimate dirty bomb!

While the plane refuels in Alaska, several Joes sneak about the plane through its landing gear. With only minutes to spare, America's finest must take control of the cockpit for if the plane enters Soviet airspace, there are several MiGs ready to blow it out of the sky! At the very last minute, Joe commander Flint grabs the controls and veers the air taxi away from Russian boarders.

The Soviets factor into the first issue of G.I. Joe Special Missions. Several of the ship-worthy members of GI Joe are posing as Scandinavian fishermen in the Baltic sea. An American submarine has broken down and members of the October Guard, the USSR's version of GI Joe, are on a nearby navel destroyer, observing the very transparent ruse. Should the sub's location be discovered by the Soviet Navy, it will violate countless treaties as the sunken submersible is deep inside Russian waters. 

Adding to the stress of this situation is the presence of Cobra. The Baroness and Firefly are on hand to commandeer the sub for themselves. Should Cobra get their hands on the American ship, the vessel's nuclear armament will make the terrorist organization an even more deadlier force to be reckoned with. 

The level of violence in this debut issue was on par with the standard G.I. Joe main title of its time. The addition of Cobra gives this tale a comedic foil. However, the level of technobabble and secret ops was unlike anything seen in the pages of a G.I. Joe comic. While 'That Sinking Feeling' isn't on par with a Quentin Tarantino film in terms of death and mayhem, the end of the age of innocence for G.I. Joe was at hand. 

It's true, that prior to G.I. Joe #50, some characters and a whole lot of Cobra troops died. After the introduction of G.I. Joe Special Missions, that death count got higher. A Cobra Civil War sees many villains die at the hands of their so-called brothers-in-arms. We learn of the tragic deaths of the heads of the Arashikage Clan, the Head Master and his younger sibling, the Soft Master. But nothing will prepare readers for issue #109 where 8 Joes are brutally slain; including fan favorites Doc, Quickick and Breaker!

Art duties for this issue were by Herb Trimpe. Trimpe, along with Hama, would stay on for the entire run of this series that ran for 26 issues. However, X-Men legend, Dave Cockrum would assist frequently as a fill-in. Special Missions started as a bi-monthly publication, quickly becoming a monthly with issue #12. The series was revived both by Devil's Due Publishing in a number of one-shots and IDW Publishing, which ran for 14 issues. In 2010-11, IDW collected the entire Marvel run in a series of 4 trades, which are no longer in print.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #11 (More Than 20 Years Old) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Batman #413 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Batman has a new ward- the street smart orphan, Jason Todd. Slowly learning the ropes as the newest Robin, Jason is headstrong, impulsive and full of rage. However, in the early episode from Jason Todd's oh-so short stint as the Boy Wonder, it's the observational skills of the lad who helps Batman crack this bizarre case. 

A new exhibit is opening at the Gotham Metropolitan Museum. Focusing on artifacts from feudal Japan, a number of pieces including kimonos, swords and a suit of samurai armor have been donated from one of the last surviving members of the Tahara Clan. The Dark Knight suspects that members of Gotham's criminal elements will rob the exhibit and so Batman keeps vigilance over the museum. 

To everyone's surprise, the exhibition isn't robbed. Instead, it's haunted by the ghost of fallen Japanese warrior, Masahiko Tahara! Now it's up to Batman and his brand-new Robin to get to the bottom of a mystery on par with something you'd expect from Scooby-Doo and the teen detectives of Mystery Inc.

'The Ghost of Masahiko Tahara' was written by Jo Duffy. Duffy has first appeared in the pages of Marvel comics in the early 70s as a frequent contributor to the letter cols of various publications. She then appeared as a cameo character in the pages of Iron Man #103 (Oct. 1977), before eventually earning her first credit as an editor for Defenders #61 (July 1978). 

Duffy's first writing credits including Daredevil, Defenders and Marvel-Two-In-One before taking on her longest and perhaps most well known stint as the writer of Power Man and Iron Fist. During this time, Duffy also penned a number of issues of Star Wars and Conan the Barbarian thanks in part to her duties as Archie Goodwin's assistant. 

During a time when Marvel was experimenting with a darker tone, Jo Duffy was a refreshing blast of light-hearted stories that harkened back to the days of Stan and Jack. She was also known to pepper her stories with doses of sarcastic humor that often hid a back-handed compliment or two. Maybe that's one reason why she paired brilliantly with Steve Ditko on some of the last issues of the short-lived Speedball series about a teen boy who turns hyper-kinetic whenever he experiences too much force.

Batman #413 was written during Jo Duffy's brief first stint with DC. In the early 90s, Duffy penned stories for Dark Horse and Image before returning to DC where she penned the first 14 issue's of Catwoman. In the mid-90s, Duffy was the screenwriter for the 4th and 5th movie in the Puppet Master horror franchise before returning to the House of Ideas in 2000. 

Jo Duffy's last writing credits are from 2003-2006, writing English script adaptations for Viz Media's Naruto. In 2007, Duffy took a job as a receptionist for the U.S. Immigration Office in New York. The writer had for some time made announcements to create her own self-published comics under the banner of Armin Armadillo Publishers. While Duffy did incorporate a company under that name in 2008, as of press time of this review, that is as far as that vision has preceded.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #15 (Comic Book Written by a Female) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Arkhamaniacs (Family Comic Friday)

This is a toughie to explain. Mostly, because this Batman universe story is just so un-Batman. But I loved it!

This graphic novel by the dynamic duo of Art Baltazar and Franco is set when Bruce Wayne's parents are still alive. One day Bruce goes with the Waynes' butler Alfred on an errand to Arkham Apartments, a Gotham City property owned by his parents. During his brief visit, Bruce runs into some of the eclectic clientele of the complex, including a manic clown wearing the biggest grin you've ever seen.

The visit intrigues Bruce, whose life at Wayne Manor is pretty dull and boring. Seeing a different view of the people of his city, the young Master Wayne decides one night to sneak out and visit Arkham Apartments to understand just why the property is so unusual and well, fun. Once at the tenement, Bruce will meet all of the residents of Arkham, folks with special powers, fun costumes and unusual pets, such as a crocodile in the swimming pool!

Arkhamaniacs reminded me a little bit of the FOX Batman prequel series, Gotham. That show was set when Bruce Wayne is a child; years before he'll even dream up the idea of becoming the Dark Knight and I feel like that very mature TV series was an inspiration to this DC graphic novel for kiddies. 

See in Gotham, Bruce Wayne meets the Joker (well, Jokers, as there are 2 in the series- at least), when the budding criminal is also in his very early years. In fact, Bruce becomes really good friends with one of the Jokers before that character is tragically turned into a raving lunatic thanks to some nerve gas. To me, I get the feeling that Art Baltazar and Franco were looking to expound on what that friendship could be like before things got real with the advent of Bruce becoming an adult. So there were elements of JM Barrie's Peter Pan at hand as well. 

This graphic novel was a fun read. It was just weird seeing the Joker being friends with young Brucie. The Joker is almost like a guide towards opening Bruce's mind up to the world of play and imagination. So, there were elements of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as well.

I think the most difficult thing about this book was knowing that all the joy and bliss between Bruce Wayne and the residents of Arkham Apartments is going to one day come to an end. Joker not only does horrible things to Bruce Wayne and his Batman Family, the Clown Prince of Crime goes on to betray and manipulate a whole bunch of his so-called friends. It's rather unsettling no matter how bright and cheery the creators of this book make things seem.

Art Baltazar and Franco have another masterpiece on their hands. This is another fun-filled romp full of DC Comics nostalgia that readers young and old will like. I just hate that uneasy feeling my knowledge of the adult Batman world gives me when I'm trying to read that paints an extremely rosy picture of things between Bruce Wayne and the Joker. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Ward #1

Imagine it's your first day at a new hospital. You're a trauma doctor. Before you even make it through the emergency department doors, you encounter your first patient. She's bleeding out and she's got a tail!

That's the first day of work for Dr. Nat Reeves. And this encounter is what opens the doors of St. Lilith's, a clandestine hospital for magical creatures. Just like any medical center, it's overcrowded and underfunded. Only it's protected by magical charms to keep it out of the attention of the general public. So how can Dr. Reeves be a part of all this?

Nat's origin is the crux of this story which really intrigued me. Only 24 pages just isn't enough story to reveal it all. This Dark Horse comic is a 4-issue miniseries that debuted last Summer. I read issue #1 almost as soon as it came out in stores. I read it and I then kinda forgot about it. 

I've also got issue #2. Yet I missed the boat on the other 2 issues. So, I'm kinda at a stopping point. Once I get the other 2 books, I'm gonna finish this. I promise. 

This Cavan Scott penned tale was really fantastic. It was a mix of Harry Potter and TV's E/R. It's also the second such comic in as many years to focus on emergency medicine with a twist. AWA's ET-ER is about a hospital that specializes in extraterrestrials. Just as great and not really different as that medical center is secretly housed on planet earth, just as St. Lilith's is.

Well, there is one thing where that other book is superior- it's stories are self-contained whereas The Ward is a string of cliffhangers. 

I hate cliffhangers.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Big Beastly Book of Bart Simpson

Once again, I had a time of feeling blue and I needed a pick-me-up. Enter this collection of Simpsons Comics starring everyone's favorite bad boy, Bart Simpson!

Just because these stories star Bart, that doesn't mean that the rest of the Simpson clan are absent. But it does mean that a majority of these adventures do occur at Springfield Elementary and his main foil is Principal Skinner. Barred from the new football team, Bart one-ups Skinner by joining the cheerleading squad... and surprise, surprise- Bart does really well!

Another great story involving sports has Bart and Lisa's little league team suddenly without a coach. So they turn to Professor Frink to lead them and they do really well thanks to the scientist's array of inventions and gadgets. Going all the way to the championship against the West Springfield lineup led by Frink's arch-enemy Doctor Colossus! With the title and personal pride on the line, the Springfield Championship game becomes an arms race between Frink and Colossus. 

There are so many other stories I could talk about. Sticking to the rule of 3, I'll focus lastly on the field trip to the Capital City Historical Museum. Faced with the prospect of being blackballed by the curator should a single student of Springfield Elementary step out of line, Skinner is sweating bullets; especially when Bart and Nelson get handcuffed together in the olde timey jail exhibit. With the head of the museum on their tail, Bart and Nelson are fugitives of exhibition hall justice! Of course, you know Seymour Skinner is going to get blacklisted!

Lots of fun. I so very miss Bongo Comics. Their Simpsons books were so very good. They entertained. They made me laugh. They brought up my spirits. If you love the Simpsons, don't miss out on the adventures of Bart Simpson! That overlooked spin-off is just as good as the regular Simpson books and a must for anyone wanting to collect the whole run of the Springfield Family of comics.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.