V #9

With the loss of Ham and Chris, who went to Chicago to protect Robin from Visitor scientists, the Los Angeles Resistance is looking pretty sparse. So Julie and Donovan head to the Big Apple for a recruitment drive. Only, with the Big Apple being smack dab in the middle of the safe zone created from the use of the Red Dust, none of the locals feel that the Visitors are a threat to the New Yorker way of life. 

Meanwhile, the drama is heating up on Diana's mothership. On the TV show, Diana was about to be forced into marrying a Visitor high-up named Charles. Should Diana wed, ancient custom would require her to have to go back to the Visitor homeworld and become a breeder for her race's glorious Leader. This would have allowed rival Lydia to become the new leader of the Earth contingent of Visitors. But Lydia was also in love with Charles and secretly poisoned Diana's ceremonial wedding chalice; which Diana switched with Charles!

So now Charles is dead. Lydia is in mourning. And Diana is coming out smelling like a rose as the widowed bride-to-be. Lydia is also planning revenge on Diana and it somehow involves a behemoth of a Visitor named Walter who has a giant crush on the Visitor leader. He thinks Diana is his! With Lydia pulling on Walter's heartstrings, the second-in-command hopes to kill two birds with one stone: Diana and Resistance leader, Mike Donovan!

Bates is Back. Infantino is on the cover. As is DeZuniga. It definitely looks like a mix of Infantino's classic style with touches that seem out of place. Once again, I am thinking Tony Dezuniga was needed to help Infantino stay on top of the demands of a hectic schedule brought about from age and CRISIS. 

Regardless, this was a great story. Too bad the TV show and this book didn't succeed. I think if both readers and viewers had known that the series and the comic were complementary of each other, it might have kept V on for another season and maybe given us 8-10 more issues of the comic. Oh, the mind boggles at the possibilities.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Bill & Ted Are Doomed

One of the positive highlights of the lockdown caused by the pandemic of 2020 was getting to watch the film Bill & Ted Face the Music. My bride and I got to watch it On Demand and for a couple of brief hours, we got to forget about the world outside that was supposedly going all to heck 

2020's Bill & Ted Are Doomed is a prequel series to Bill & Ted Face the Music. Set about 8-10 years before the events of the threequel, Bill & Ted are in a rut. Stymied by the pressure of writing the song that will usher in an era of world peace, the guys have allowed their music career to slump. Wyld Stallyns are considered Mild Stallions by the music loving community and it's putting a strain on the lives of Bill and Ted.

Along with relationship woes with their princess brides, bass playing Grim Reaper is ready to quit the band and the guys are completely broke. This stagnant period of the boys' career is having drastic effects on the time stream. Without the song, not only is the future promise of international peace threatened, but so is the fabric of the entire multiverse! Hopefully, the guys can put things right with a World Tour!

Original Marvel Comics series writer Evan Dorkin returns to craft this 4-issue miniseries that gets readers and potential movie goers up to date on what's happened to Bill and Ted since we last saw them in in 1991's Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. Unfortunately, life got in the way with this plan. 

Bill & Ted Face the Music debuted in August, 2020. That's exactly when issue #1 hit store shelves. That's actually about 6 months later than Dark Horse Comics originally planned to release these books. It was late March to early April when the comic book industry as a collective whole shut down new releases. Remember, a lockdown was in place and a lot of non-essential stores were forced to close. Even though I consider them essential, local, state and federal government branches didn't consider comic book stores to be all that necessary. Hence the delay.

I enjoyed this book. It captured the franchise very well. Okay, maybe too well. The ridiculously verbose talk of Bill and Ted got a little bit annoying at the end. But I loved the silliness of the whole thing and Death's banter and annoyance at everybody was just perfect. And all those Easter eggs of things to come in Face the Music! So fun!

 If you are familiar with Evan Dorkin's original Bill and Ted run or his magnum opus Milk and Cheese, then you know that he's a master of madcap mayhem. However, I feel like Dorkin was trying to stuff 5 pounds of story into a 4 pound container. 

Characters that aren't even in the threequel are given a lot of unneeded extra attention. Plus there's one scene in which the symbiotic duo Station are looking sadly at the night sky that just doesn't go anywhere. I felt sad for Station, figuring that they miss their home world. Yet, they don't return there. I probably would have blown this minor scene off had Evan Dorkin not included a sketch of it in the artist notes in the back of the book. But with it's conclusion, I sure did feel bummed that Station doesn't get a happy ending. 

While it was great to get more insight into the progression of Bill and Ted from their bogus journey to their third adventure, this miniseries was a tad uneven and at times over the top to a point of discomfort.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

V #8

Issue #8 spins off directly from the V television series. Episode 12, titled 'The Betrayal' was the final appearances of Ham Tyler, Chris Farber and Robin Maxwell. Robin is the mother of Elizabeth, the Star Child and the Visitors are eager to capture Robin and impregnate her once again in hopes of creating another super-powered hybrid child. 

Ham and Chris take Robin to Chicago in hopes of hiding her there. That's how all 3 characters left the show. But in reality, this was how writers wrote off actor Michael Ironside, who felt that the TV series lacked the quality of the original miniseries. Considering that the budget for each show was dramatically slashed, episodes looked more like Dynasty instead of The Invaders, and most of the special effects were recycled scenes from V and V: The Final Battle, Inronside might have been on to something. 

I like that guest scripter Bob Rozankis decided to focus on parts of the show left unfinished. The viewers got to see the trio leave for the Midwest. But we never find out if they made it and how they transitioned in an area reportedly known to be safe from Visitor influences thanks to the Red Dust. 

SPOILER- they are not safe!

I think Bob Rozankis wrote about Ham, Chris and Robin because they weren't off limits. Main characters such as Mike, Julie and Diana were probably listed as off limits until Cary Bates' return to the series. Just where is Mister Bates? Not sure. The letter col doesn't mention why he's absent from issue #8. However, the editors do mention that the fate of V: The TV Series is in danger of cancellation. But they reassure fans that if that happens, DC has been given permission to wrap up the storyline. I can live with that. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

Marvel Classics Comics #23: The Moonstone (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

A staple of the comic book industry went defunct in 1971 when Classics Illustrated ceased publication. Frawley Corporation had purchased the rights to the educational reading tools from Gilberton in 1967. While 1969 was the last year the publisher released new material, Frawley kept issuing reprinted material both at home and abroad before abandoning the comic line for nearly 2 decades.

The void for comics based on works of classic fiction wouldn't be a very lengthy one. In 1973, Pendulum Press began a run of over 70 volumes of black and white adaptations of famous works. Artists and writers such as Otto Binder, Alex Nino, and Gerry Talaoc brought such beloved stories such as The Red Badge of Courage and Gulliver's Travels to life in a line called Pendulum Illustrated Classics. New material was produced under this line through 1980 with Shakespeare's Hamlet as the last original work.  

In 1976, the powers that be at Marvel Comics decided to take advantage of the vacuum brought about from Classics Illustrated's demise. Working with Pendulum Press, Marvel released Marvel Classics Comics, with the first 12 issues of the new series colorized reprints of Pendulum works. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, adapted by Kin Platt and Nestor Redondo and Otto Binder and Alex Niño's The Time Machine were the subjects of the first two issues.  

Each issue was 52 pages long - with no ads! Except for a post on the back cover advertising next month's upcoming releases. Marvel would release 2 new issues every month. The series ended in 1978 with adaptations of Alice in Wonderland and Dickens' A Christmas Carol published as issues #35 and #36.

Issue #23 was an adaptation of The Moonstone. Written by British author Wilkie Collins in 1868, it tells of a cursed gem stone and it's mysterious theft. One part gothic romance, as well as a complex whodunnit, The Moonstone is groundbreaking as it delves into the literal destruction of India's culture by British colonialists.

The story opens with the theft of the Moonstone, a sacred Hindu gem that rests in the forehead of a giant idol. During a skirmish called the 'Siege of Seringapatam', most of the attendants of the temple are killed by British forces. In the attack, a British soldier steals the Moonstone smuggling it back home in England. Thumbing his nose at the curse which follows the Moonstone, along with guardians of the Moonstone who will stop at nothing less than murder to retrieve it, the thief dies of mysterious circumstances; willing the jewel to his estranged niece.

The niece is gifted the heirloom on the night of her birthday. But her ownership of the jewel is short-lived, as the Moonstone is stolen later that night as she sleeps. A detective from a local constabulary is called in and an investigation begins. Fingers are pointed. Relationships are dashed. And the body count piles up as everyone is considered a suspect.

The author of the 'about the author' article on the inside cover of this issue lists Charles Dickens as a direct influence on Wilkie Collins. However true that may be, this story with it's gothic imagery and use of the scientific method to solve the crime, a lot of inspiration needs to be pointed at the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Clearly without works like this, we'd probably have a very different Sherlock Holmes. Who knows. It's quite possible that without the theft of the Moonstone, the world of criminal science might have never evolved to the level of sophistication that it has in today's policing methods.

This issue was adapted by Don McGregor. Art was by Dino Castrillo. Cover by Ernie Chan.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #25 (Set in a Foreign Country) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

V #7

Infantino is back! For real this time!

I had mentioned that Carmine Infantino as he got older was limiting his projects. Thus, he stepped away from projects often and used assistants. The letter col in the back of this issue kinda confirms all this as at the time of this publication, DC is in the throes of CRISIS and Infantino was needed to help on a few of the many tie-in books to that game changing event. 

As for this issue, Resistance leader Julie is the primary focus. She's heading to her home town in New Mexico to meet with a contact. Only, Julie isn't aware that this fellow Resistance cohort has been captured by the Visitors and that she is now walking into a trap. 

Of all the issues for Carmine Infantino to return to, I don't really know why he chose this one. There's very little action. It's more of a romance story as Julie runs into her old high school beau. Issue #6 is more of a psychological thriller in the vein of Alfred Hitchcock as you wonder throughout the tale if this old flame of Julie's is a friend or now a foe working with the Visitors. 

Great read. Just nowhere near on par with the level of action and adventure that has peppered the past 5 issues. It really feels like a waste of Infantino's talents, if you ask me.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

V #6

On the Visitor mothership, a doublecross is afoot! Under the guise of a peace conference between humans and Visitors, Diana has drugged an ardent representative of the human race named Earl Meagan. If it sounds an awful lot like Carl Sagan, give yourself a cookie! This advocate for peace is a Sagan archetype, even to the point of being an astronomer.

Anyways, Diana plans to brainwashed Meagan in her torturous conversion chamber to make him pro-Visitor. While at the same time, Meagan has a miniature nuclear bomb implanted in his neck and it's primed to go off shortly.

Julie and Donovan plan a rescue aboard the mothership. Though, if they'd just wait a little bit, their Visitor problems would be eradicated. Although, I can see where if you kill off Diana, then another, more deadlier leader might rise to power and make things much worse for the human race. 

Meanwhile, Ham and Chris are initiating plans to shut down the Visitor food processing plant. As I mentioned, earlier, the visitors were force feeding humans in a twisted twist on the term 'fat farm.' Visitor scientists are also conducting sickening experiments on humans too. But thanks to Ham and Chris, these researchers from another world are about to get their just desserts.

The interior of this issue claims that Carmine Infantino has returned. Yet, the artwork looks more like that of Infantino assistant Tony DeZuniga. Plus, Infantino isn't listed on the front cover. So, I'm not ready to proclaim his return to this series just yet. 

Still scripting V: The Comic Book is Cary Bates. He's doing on heck of a job. Sure, it's been decades since I last saw the TV show. Yet, what I remember from that series seems to gel quite well with what I remember. Except for 1 thing. Chris only appeared in a couple of episodes of V's TV series. One was a Christmas episode in which a main character died. I'm not complaining that Chris is here. I'm actually glad he is as Chris was one of my favorite characters. I'm just pointing out one way the comic and the show varies.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Adventures of Tintin: Red Rackham's Treasure (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Many of the intrepid boy reporter Tintin's adventures have colorful names. The Blue Lotus. The Black Island. The Crab with the Golden Claws. In Red Rackham's Treasure, Tintin and his sea faring friend, Captain Haddock search for the missing treasure of the notorious pirate, Red Rackham.

Spinning off of Tintin's previous adventure, The Secret of the Unicorn, Tintin finds the treasure map of Sir Francis Haddock. An ancestor of Captain Haddock, Sir Francis was responsible for ending the career of Red Rackham, after the raider plundered his stores of treasure. However, Sir Francis' ship, the Unicorn was sunk during the battle with Rackham, sending the booty down to Davy Jones' locker. Consequently the nobleman was the Unicorn's only survivor, marooned for about two years on a nearby island.

Tintin, his faithful dog Snowy and Captain Haddock are assisted in their search for buried or sunken treasure by those bumbling but brave detective twins, Thomson and Thompson, as well as the hard of hearing scientist, Professor Cuthbert Calculus. 

Many readers mistakenly believe that Thompson and Thomson are twin brothers. This mostly due to how nearly identical the two detectives look and their strange way of repeating each other's sentences. Having an 80's British pop band be named Thompson Twins after the duo probably didn't help confusion matters any either. Tintin creator Herge, based the two on his real life father and uncle, who were identical twins that wore matching bowlers and walking canes throughout adulthood. In the original French translation of Tintin, the pair are known as Dupont and Dupond.

Red Rackham's Treasure marks the first appearance of Professor Cuthbert Calculus. Based on the Swiss scientist Auguste Picard, Calculus is as brilliant a developer but a lot more prone to accidents. Picard made record breaking hydrogen balloon flights in an experimental bathyscaphe. Professor Calculus' prototype underwater shark sub gets stuck in a field of seaweed. Calculus' hearing troubles are points of levity in the Tintin series, much to the annoyance of Captain Haddock. But thanks to the relentless persistence of Calculus, events of this graphic novel benefit Haddock greatly in the end.

As for Red Rackham, why was he given that nickname? The pirates real first name was John. He did not have red hair nor a ruddy complexion. Rackham earned his nickname from the dashing red cape that enrobed his neck and the massive scarlet plume atop his cavalier headwear.

Completing this review completes Task #21 (Has a Color in the Title) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.