Fairest, Volume 4: Of Men and Mice

   When a mysterious group of assassins attempt to kill Snow White, the Sheriff of Fabletown calls on his secret weapon to get to the bottom of things- Cinderella. But when those same assassins destroy Cinder's shoe store, it's clear that she's also a target. But why and who's behind it? Cinder believes that her fairy godmother is behind these attacks but when a sniper's bullet leaves the loopy godmother in a coma; the list of culprits gets longer. The search for answers will have Cinderella crisscrossing the globe in an adventure that introduces some never before revealed Indian fables as well pitting the one-time princess against a murderous stepsister.

   This volume is an exciting journey that reveals the secrets behind Cinderella's magic night at Prince Charming's castle. But I'm not  sure why Cinderella is featured in this series. The glass slippered beauty has been the subject of two miniseries titled 'Cinderella' so why was this action-packed origin story published in the pages of Fairest?

    I understand that Fairest is a series devoted to the mighty ladies of Fabletown and yes Cinderella is both A) a lady and B) a resident of Fabletown. But I would think that since Cinderella is the star of her own titles then the six issues published in this volume should have been devoted to another fair lady of the Fables series who's yet to have her season in the sun. That's not to say that this volume of Fairest is not essential reading for any fan of Fables.

    The actions in this storyline have ramifications that are currently affecting that epic series as it nears its final 150th issue. The foreshadowed return of Bigby Wolf and the escalating civil war between Rose Red and Snow White plays important components in this book. Because of those tie-ins, this volume is actually a very good starting point for fans of Fables who've yet to give Fairest a chance. If you love the mystery, action,  magic, and sex appeal of Fables then you need to try on Fairest.

   Trust me, it will fit.

     Worth Consuming

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Owly Volume 4: A Time to be Brave (Family Comic Friday)

 

 For today's Family Comic Friday offering, I choose a book about a character that has graced my comics collection for several years now. Meet Owly, the creation of Andy Runton. He's is a good-natured owl whose sorta the caretaker of his corner of the forest, helping out his friends Wormy the Worm and Scampy the Chipmunk.

   Since 2008, I've collected several editions of Top Shelf publications'  'Owly and Friends' Free Comic Book Day collections. Along with other kid-friendly selections from Top Shelf, each FCBD issue offers a 1-5 page short story about the fine feathered friend and pals. But I'd never read an entire volume of Owly- until now.

In this volume, Owly helps his buddy Wormy overcome his fears. First, the little guy's favorite tree gets damaged during a wicked game of catch. Then, after reading a fairy tale about a knight and a fearsome dragon, the little worm's imagination gets the better of him. Now everywhere Wormy goes, he thinks he sees a scary dragon in the big woods.

  Owly tries to assure Wormy that there isn't a monster in the woods. But when the avian big brother comes across a new creature he's never seen before, there might be some validity to Wormy's fear of a dragon stalking the forest. Who is this new character and is he friend or foe?

   'A Time to be Brave' is a fun all-ages graphic novel that teaches an important lesson about facing one's fears as well as trusting others. When the animals in the forest finally learn who is the 'monster of the woods' it takes time for both parties to trust that the other side wants to be friends. There are some moments that are a little heart-wrenching but thankfully there's a happy ending.

  Owly is written largely as a picture book. I think there was no more than 25 words in the entire book. As the characters often speak and show emotion in character form, readers of any age can understand just about everything being communicated. Plus the book is drawn in a very clean black and white format, making the scenes easy to view, even when some of the panels are as small as a half-dollar.

    I had the chance this week to chat with Owly creator Andy Runton via email. Along with answers to some follow-up questions about future volumes of Owly, Runton sent me a link to his website. I recommend you check it out for some great stuff. At the site,  parents and educators can find teaching guides that correspond to Owly's graphic novels and illustrated books. You can also download several Owly stories, an animated short, and some Owly and Friends coloring pages. If your child falls in love with the series, you can even commission Andy Runton to draw them a special picture or even autograph a book (There are fees for the commissions, of course.)

   Owly is a character that your aspiring comic book collector needs to meet. He's fun, sweet, and good friend to all. In this day and age, it's really hard to find a character that parents can't object to. Well, folks, now you have.

  Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Shadow Hero

  The Shadow Hero is actually the Green Turtle and it's his backstory that's the most interesting part of this book. Back in 1944, an artist was asked to create a new superhero on par to hopefully rival Superman and to rally support for the allied cause in China against the invading Imperialist Japanese. The artist's name was Chu F. Hing and he was amongst the very first Asian American graphic artists in the comics field.

    Rumor had it according to Gene Leun Yang and Sonny Liew (the writer and artist of the Shadow Hero) is that Hing wanted the Turtle to being portrayed as an Asian character. But the publisher, Blazing Comics, in which the Green Turtle starred in for a grand total of just 5 issues of a title of the same name of the publishing company, vetoed the idea. To make matters worse, the editors deliberately ordered that the parts of the Green Turtle's body that wasn't covered by his mask and costume, be colored a bright pink hue to distinguish the Turtle's alter-ego as being that of a white man. But Hing had the last word by purposely drawing the Green Turtle either in shadow or from the back, Never being seen in the face, Hing also refused to offer any sort of origin about the hero of China's rebel army.

    Without an origin or ever being directly seen was probably why the Green Turtle never lasted very long. In fact, the character might have been forgotten altogether if it wasn't for the tireless efforts of Yang and Liew. In The Shadow Hero, Yang and Liew seek to finally give Green Turtle his long-awaited origin as well as finally portray the superhero as an Asian male.

   In the clever retool, Yang and Liew even explain why the Green Turtle was pink, as his mother's constant attempts to give him super powers only results in his skin turning sunburned pink when exposed to water. The Green Turtle also was bulletproof, but that wasn't due his meddling mommy. This time, teenaged Hank is given this special ability after a spirit animal in the form of a turtle offers him a promise in exchange for the boy being the vessel in which the turtle can reside. Now able to resist bullets and disguise himself as a white man, the Green Turtle can suit up and seek justice on the man who killed his father.

    Usually, reboots are unneeded at best and ultimately despised by readers and fans. There are a few exceptions like Frank Miller's Batman: Year One and Alan Moore's Swamp Thing. The Shadow Hero needs to be added to that very small list. I applaud First Second Books for giving Yang and Liew the thumbs up to give the Green Turtle his much needed chance to be portrayed as originally intended (based on if the legend of Chu Hing's original concept is true- which I think it is.) Be sure to check out the 'director's cut' material at the back of the book and a reprinting of the Green Turtle's very first adventure and decide for yourself.

I only hope First Second decides to publish another miniseries starring Green Turtle.

   I want to also give major props to the writer and artist. In this day and age in which many of our established superheroes are being retooled in order to fit in with this era's en vogue PC term 'diversity,' Yang and Liew changed all of the rules. They took a lesser known character that was intended to be Asian and portrayed him as he was meant to be originally presented to the masses. That is the answer to the call of diversity that I can get on board with.

   Also, the creative team made the conscious decision to stick to Chu Hing's original intentions instead of also making the Green Turtle gay, a woman, and suffering from a speech impediment. In a way, this book answers the call of many established comic book fans like myself who want to see diversity in comics but also long as it's portrayed with new characters and ideas. Sure the Green Turtle is technically 71-years old but to 99.9 percent of the comic book community, he's brand new.

    I would love to see more forgotten heroes given a new chance at life with new ideas surrounding their background. Marvel did a fantastic job of this with it's 70th anniversary miniseries the Twelve. Even my all-time favorite artist Alex Ross has taken up the call with several old school public domain heroes in the pages of Dynamite Comics.

  So, there you have it all you vast comic book publishers. The challenge has been issued. Will you follow the lead of Gene Leun Yang and Sonny Liew and answer the call?

Worth Consuming

 Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

(Note: The Shadow Hero reprints the ebook miniseries 'The Shadow Hero" The Green Turtle Chronicles, available on Kindle.)

 

Marvel Adventures: Hulk #11

  The first ever crossover in Marvel Universe history occurred way back in Fantastic Four #12. In that epic issue from the early 60s saw the Thing tussling with the Incredible Hulk. Buildings were destroyed, bystanders were hurt, and a legend was born.

   Over the next 5 decades, the two titans would continue to tussle. But thanks to that dynamic two-part story, the Thing and Hulk would become uneasy friends. Often they'd team-up together and then due to some misunderstanding (usually on the Hulk's part) the two heroes would battle it out until that fragile truce could be reestablished. The same is no different in this all-ages friendly story from 2008.

   Here, Bruce Banner comes to the Baxter Building along with his teenage pal Rick Jones. The duo are looking for Reed Richards to assist the good doctor in finding a cure for the gamma radiation that turns him into the big green machine. The only member of the Fantastic Four at home is lovable Blue Eyed Benji.

     Not one to let a friend down, Thing gives Bruce free reign over Reed's lab. But when a squad of Doombots invades the lab, an errant laser blast angers Banner and he turns into the Hulk. Naturally instead of the attacking robots, the Hulk assumes the Thing attacked him and another classic battle between the two heroes is born!

   One again, Marvel crafted another all-ages classic in their Marvel Adventures line. It was fun and funny and full of action and adventure. The art was very good as well though it might have been just a little too clean for a battle royale between the Thing and the Hulk. Still this was an excellent story that isn't very expensive if you can find it. Plus, I just loved the last page- especially the very last panel.


  Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10

Krusty Comics #1

Bongo Comics usually does a super job on their multitude of Simpsons titles. This is the exception to the rule. In this premier issue that stars Krusty the Clown, the town of Springfield gets a new theme park. But knowing the notoriously cheap clown, he's going to cut corners and that involves the safety of the park goers.

  Cue the cliffhanger....

   Ugh, that makes me so angry. I hate a cliffhanger. None of the other Simpsons comics have cliffhangers (I do give except to the Simpsons/ Futurama crossovers, but they say 'book 1/2' on the cover.) Apparently Krusty Comics is a 3-part miniseries. So, if you are expecting to enjoy a single issue story- well just don't.

   There is a couple of backup features, including one story about Sideshow Mel that too ends with 'To be Continued..." That really is beyond the pale in my book. The Mr. Teeny adventure was funny and so was Bart's map of Krustyland but neither really could save this comic from making me happy with it.

  However, I do hold this issue in some esteem as a very elaborate splash page involving Lionel Hutz reading the providers of Krusty's property contract helped inspire me in a splash page problem I was having with a comic book story due to be published later this year. For that help alone, Krusty #1 will be a permanent part of my collection but it doesn't deem it worth consuming in my book.

   Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Joker's Asylum II: Killer Croc

   The beastly Killer Croc has escaped Arkham in a typical bloody fashion. Injured, Croc finds himself nursed to health by a seemingly kind couple. However, in a twist straight out of film noir, Killer Croc has now become the hired muscle to a pair of up and coming criminals. But all is not cheery in this new set-up for the escaped prisoner when the femme fatale of the group plays with Croc's heartstrings in an homage to the classic film 'Double Indemnity.'
   
    This volume of Joker's Asylum was one of my favorites in the entire series (though I still have a few left to collect and read.) The storytelling of Mike Raicht was on the level of a Dashiell Hammett. This guy should write gritty crime novels! The art of David Yardin was quite good as well but if you do not like the sight of blood, then I suggest you read one of Killer Croc's other capers found in the pages of the Batman Animated Adventures series.

   A superior comic that is worth consuming and will leave you asking "who's the real monster in this story?"

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Joker's Asylum II: Mad Hatter

This tragic tale of the origin of the Mad Hatter is just as deranged as the madman telling it. The story was quite good- though last year I read another version of the Mad Hatter's origin in the pages of Batman: Arkham City that I thought was just perfect. This one is good, but it's not instant classic material.

   The same cannot be said of the art. Bill Sienkiewicz draws the main layout. But for some reason, parts of the artwork is overlapped with doodles by the great Keith Giffen. It looks like someone is scrapbooking for the insane or something here.

   If this sort of layout had appeared in a Justice League Europe issue or a volume of Ambush Bug (and I'm pretty sure it has), then I would say it's great and necessary for the work in question. But in this edition of Joker's Asylum, well it's a hot mess. I hate that DC didn't do further volumes of this series but if this issue was the only sample offered to the masses for review, I can see why further minis and one-shots were never greenlit.

   This series can do better.

   Not Worth Consuming

   Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.