Teen Titans #4

(1996-1998) DC Comics. Story by Dan Jurgens. Art by George Perez

Argent, Risk, Joto, Prysm, and the Raymond Palmer Atom. Everybody remembers this classic Teen Titans lineup, right? A mysterious benefactor hopes that will be the case unless a member from the original team has anything to say about it.

The duo of Dan Jurgens and George Perez are really onto something with this version of the Teen Titans. The story is quite good, even for having zero 'action.' I do think the Titans training room seems to have been stripped from the X-Men Mansion. But for the most part, this story was fresh and Perez's art is excellent!

I got this out of a grab bag. I'm not sure if I want to collect the whole series just yet. Heck, I'm not even familiar with this incarnation of the team. But this series does warrant further review. I’m holding on to this issue for now.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Rivers of London: Detective Stories #2

From the Case Files of Peter Grant…

Police Constable Peter Grant’s performance review to become a detective continues. His next case placed under the microscope involves a stolen work of art. Only, this thief wasn’t trying to remove the sketch from a museum or gallery. He was trying to add it to the collection of the Duke of Wellington.

A Lack of Cohesion

I was quite disappointed with this issue. When it comes to plotting out a well structured mystery, the author can get bogged down in the details. I think Rivers of London creator and writer Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel made the plot to this story just too darn complex. Immortal soldiers, a rough draft by painter Francisco Goya, and a confession to the crime that the reader is never fully allowed to see makes for a centuries old puzzle that really didn’t need to be solved.

This issue wasn’t all bad. Segments of the story were quite good. The art as a whole was amazing. Artist Lee Sullivan illustrates the story in the style of different artists and art movements.

Sullivan’s use of styles was so good, I think Aaronovitch was trying to repeat this process, telling each suspect’s story in a different way. For example, when Grant is scouting the crime scene, clues are plastered all over the museum as he’d see it. Jump ahead a few pages to Peter interrogating the perp and the scenes inter-cut with Peter’s partner Lesley, at a private art session. Both conversations really only tell us one side of the story. Interesting techniques, but they don’t tell a cohesive enough of a story when put together.

Casting Judgments

Since I last reviewed issue #1, I have been on the hunt for the first Rivers of London novel. Being originally published in England, let me tell you, that’s no easy feat. I’ve only found it on Amazon and not for a price I’m very excited to pay. After reading this issue, I was a little relieved that I didn’t get it.

I’m willing to give this series one more try; like a best 2-out-of-3. Thankfully, each issue recounts only a single case with no real cliffhanger. If issue #3 winds up being my last, at least I will not feel like I would be missing out on anything. But Ben Aaronovitch and the staff at Titan Comics are going to have to pull out all the stops if they are going to win me over as a fan of Rivers of London for good.

Tune in next month to uncover how that mystery is solved…

Worth Consuming

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Review was originally published July 13, 2017 on Outrightgeekery.com

US1 #2

(1983-1984) Marvel Comics. Story and Art by Al Milgrom.

A badly injured trucker is given an experimental metal plate in his head. As a result, when his tongue touches the fillings in his teeth, he can access any CB radio channel. That's it. That's the guy's superpower- thanks to some spit and a spark of electricity, our book's hero is a living breathing Sony Walkman.

Add a fight at a truck stop, a deadly villain with a bullwhip, and some impossible driving techniques (motorcycles cannot drive balanced atop guard rails!) and you've got a real stinker. Not one of Jim Shooter's best ideas.

Really awesome cover. If anyone knows who did it, please let me know!

Rating: 2 out of 10 stars.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day: 196

     For today's A Madman Turns 40, I'm looking at a cultural icon or icons (if you want to get technical about it)- the Village People. But before I look at the Disco group, a little back story as to why I choose to focus on them today...

     Yesterday, I was working my part-time job as a security guard. My gig for the day was to guard a tunnel entrance at a pop culture convention. I thought it was going to be a dull job but I ended up meeting several celebrities. 

I cannot confirm or deny that I worked this event yesterday...

    One of those I meet was Randy Jones. Randy was the Cowboy in the Village people when they broke onto the music scene in 1977 (there's that year again...) Anyways, Randy was born in Raleigh where the Con was held. I recognized him and said hi by name and he actually stopped and chatted with me for several minutes. Turns out we were both born at Old Rex Hospital. So being a little star struck to meet a pop culture icon that got his start the year I was born, I decided to devote today's post to the Village People.

    The Village People came to be when an aspiring singer named Victor Willis submitted a demo tape to producer and composer Jacques Morali. Morali saw great potential in Willis and decided to form a disco group around him.

     The first album debuted in July of '77. The first album was basically Willis singing to a house band. The self titled album was a hit in clubs. Demand for public appearances led to Morali hastily throwing a group of backup singers/dancers together. After a very successful appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, Morali decided to recruit a full time lineup for the Village People.

The 1977 Debut Album.
The people on the cover actually had nothing to do with the music except Willis on the bottom left.

The name Village People was based after the Greenwich Village region of New York. The neighborhood was known for its large gay community at the time. So Morali had each member of the band dress as a different homosexual stereotype. Randy Jones was the official selection for the Cowboy character. Other characters added to the group were an Indian, a construction worker, a cop, a biker, and a military member of either the Army or Navy (this character frequently changes back and forth from either branch.)

    Over the course of 1977-1980, the Village People produced a number of hits including Macho Man, San Francisco and their most famous tune, YMCA. You can't go a single day of the year without YMCA being played at some sporting event. I've personally witnessed the song played at several baseball games, hockey matches, and a WrestleMania type venue.

The Village People performing their iconic
YMCA dance.

    The Village People are also known for the song In the Navy. That song has particular meaning for my family. My sister in law has a reputation of dating 3 different men who upon breaking up with her immediately went to the the Naval service. We call her the Navy's top recruiter and will sometimes play In the Navy as a joke at her expense.

    Well that's my look at my birth year for today. It was really cool to meet a 1977 icon. It almost felt meant to be as a sort of happening during this year long celebration of this self-propelled Madman's birthday.

 Until next time...

     
    

Lost in NYC: A Subway Adventure (Family Comic Friday)

      

      It's Pablo's first day at his new school. He's picked a great day to start because his class are going on a field trip to the Empire State Building! To get there, Pablo's class will have to take the subway. But when Pablo accidentally takes the wrong train, can he rely on what little knowledge of the subway routes he has in order to reunite with his classmates at 350 5th Avenue?

      Toon Graphics has done it again with this exciting look at the Big Apple. I learned a lot about the subway from this book by Nadja Spiegelman, like why there's both routes with letters and numbers. Add some very detailed artwork by Spanish illustrator Sergio Garcia Sanchez, this book is like an educational Where's Waldo?

     If the name Nadja Spiegelman sounds familiar, it's cause it does. The author of Lost in NYC is the daughter of legendary writer/artist Art Spiegelman (Maus.) She clearly has inherited some of Papa's writing talents.

    Usually a Toon Graphics book has 2-4 pages of fun facts, activities, and other fun stuff. Lost in NYC has no less than 10 pages! Are you and your little ones planning on a trip to the Big Apple? If so, this is the perfect book to get them properly acclimated to the city's most used method of transportation. It will make that trip so much more fun and memorable.

   Worth Consuming!

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017: Day 194

 Today is a big day in Madman History- it's the 40th anniversary of the NYC blackout!

    At 8:37pm, lightening struck a substation along the Brooklyn River. The blast overloaded the system at Indian Point and within an hour knocked out power for all of the five boroughs with exception of a small section of Queens and the Rockaways. 

    The thing that makes this event so memorable wasn't the blackout itself but what came with it- mass chaos. It was particularly hot that summer with temps in the 100s. The economy of the Big Apple was in distress as well. Add to it that a crazed gunman calling himself the Son of Sam, and people were on edge. So when the power went out, everyone lost their freaking mind.

    The night of the blackout was fraught with looting, fighting, and arson. Over 1600 stores were damaged in some way by vandals and looters. Over 4500 people were arrested and nearly 500 police officers were hurt trying to maintain order. There were at least 14 major fires as well.

    I really can't do this night in history justice. But I know some folks who can. There's this really awesome documentary about New York City 1977 called NY 77: The Coolest Year in Hell. Check out the video clip below about a recount of what went down on the night of the blackout: 

       Electricians and power companies worked in unison over the night. By mid-morning the next day, neighborhoods began to get the power back. The last section of the city to get the lights turned back on occurred around 10:39pm. 

       In the aftermath, a couple of units of the national guard were summoned but by the time they arrived, much of the chaos was over. Over $300 million dollars in damages accrued during the blackout. Yet, President Carter only approved for $11 million in funds to be allocated for repairs of damaged. So a lot of people lost businesses, wealth, and jobs overnight.

     One area that saw tremendous growth was the hip hop industry. Many a turntable and piece of audio equipment was stolen that night. As a result of the overnight grab-and-go, the sound and scene of hip hop jumped ahead light years. If you don't believe me, check out the clip from above.  

      Well, that's my look at my favorite year for today. It was a crazy time to be alive in the Big Apple. Man, do I wish I was there. Until next time...



      

Tetris: The Games People Play

Tetris: The Games People Play isn't just the story of the beloved Russian video game. Covering prehistoric excavations, the Egyptian game of senet, and the creation of the Nintendo Playing Card Company, this non-fiction graphic novel is a complete history of gaming. Written and illustrated by Andre the Giant: Life and Legend’s Box Brown, this was an enjoyable read. But it's not without some difficult sections to cull through.

  The main story takes place during the waning days of the 1980s Cold War. Anytime one tries to craft a capitalist business venture with a Communist nation, there's going to be red tape. Several companies thought that they had the rights to distribute Tetris including Atari and Nintendo. Of course, the Soviet Union wasn't about to let their claim to the puzzle game go without milking the contract to their advantage.

    Thankfully Brown gives introductions to all of the players that entered into the dealings. But there was a lot of characters involved with turning Tetris into the cultural icon it became. So I had to go back from time to time to refresh myself over who was who.

   I promised to pass this book to a little fella after I read it. But I'm not sure if he's going to be able to enjoy it. There's no cussing or sex in this book. Some mild discussion of violence towards the end of the book however. But I think that the lengthy discussion of international trade law might just be too much for fan of Tetris under the age of 14. (The boy who saw my with this book at the library couldn't have been older than 7!)

    I'm really digging Box Brown's style. Pop culture and geek history seems to be Brown's genre of choice. He's a very good story teller of nonfiction, much like Rich Geary or Marjane Satrapi. Being that this volume on games doesn't really cover role playing (RPGs) that much, maybe that could be a companion piece to Tetris.

   Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.