The Complete Gorgo Readers Collection: Volume 1 & 2

Gorgo was a 1961 British film produced by MGM. The film itself was a European rip-off of Godzilla with offshore atomic testing awakening the prehistoric beast and being worshiped as an ancient deity by a Gaelic seaside town. But the real change to this kaiju was that Gorgo was a baby. You did not want to get on the bad side of mama!

This deluxe volume from Gwandanaland Comics reprints the all of the Gorgo books published by Charlton Comics. First is the adaptation of the film. Then a comic based on the never made proposed sequel. Those two books was enough to warrant a 23-issue series based on further exploits of Gorgo and his kin. Then there was 2 one-shots that sought to revitalize the adventures of Gorgo, but to little avail. 

The main series that ran from 1961-65 was a product of it's time. As with all giant monster franchises, the threat of nuclear destruction is ever looming. But what's even more interesting about Gorgo is how he was such a vital cog in the war against Communism. 

One issue ties the events of the Cuba Missile Crisis to the classified inclusion of a very po'd Gorgo. Several other issues has Gorgo and his mom running afoul of hidden commie bases and wrecking the plans of global domination from Communist China. But when it comes to the good guys, Gorgo is there to help; almost like a giant reptile version of Lassie. 

This book has one big superstar tied-in. The legendary Steve Ditko (Doctor Strange) pencils the first 5 issues and then returns from time-to-time. I just wish that the storytelling and editing was given as much care as Ditko gave the art.

There are dozens upon dozens typos through this book. Apparently spellcheck was something never explored by the editors at Charlton Comics. Yeah, yeah. I know I am one to talk. But then again, I'm not a professional either.

I loved this book. It was as massive as Gorgo himself. Full of awesomely wild stories about a classic but forgotten movie monster.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Wonder Woman 1984

My satellite provider started showing the much delayed (and much maligned) Wonder Woman 1984 this week. The film seems to contradict much of Superman V. Batman and Justice League, as we were lead to believe that Diana Prince stayed out of the limelight after her time at the end of World War I. But that's not quite the case. 

In 1984 Washington, D.C., Wonder Woman saves the innocent. But the Amazonian princess does her best to stay anonymous, often telling those few who do spot her to keep mum about her. Her muted presence will be tested when megalomaniac Maxwell Lord comes into contact with a cursed gem that can grant wishes. As Lord uses the wishes of others to become more and more powerful, Diana unknowingly revives her long dead only love, Steve Trevor. But her wish comes at a cost, as her desires result in Wonder Woman's loss of invulnerability. 

Also making wishes for herself is the wallflower, Barbara Minerva. Now blessed with strength and confidence, Barbara finally starts to stand-up for herself. But it is at the cost of her humanity and good will towards others. As both Maxwell Lord and Minerva gain in power, Diana falters in her attempts to stop the pair. But in order to do so, Wonder Woman will once again have to sacrifice her happiness. 

I liked WW84 a lot more than I liked the first film. Maybe it's because 1984 is a year smack dab in my childhood. So possibly there's more nostalgia than actual enjoyment here. Clocking in a 2.5 plus hours, this is a lengthy film. There are several scenes that I don't think we needed, like an opening scene from Diana's childhood trials on Themyscira. But the extra scene in the middle of the credits- that was a surprise that was coming for a very, very long time!

There were quite a few humorous elements to this movie. Gal Gadot and Chris Pine have great chemistry together; much to comedic effect. Gadot's interactions with Kristen Wiig as Barbara Minerva, before her fall from grace, were rather good too. And Pedro Pascal's role as conman businessman Maxwell Lord is very good. He's slimy just like in the comics.  Although, I've never pictured Lord as a Latin Lothario. Max's creators have always aimed at him being a trumped up, um well, Trump. And while Pedro Pascal does seem to have the hair down pat- this guy just isn't a native New Yorker.

As I said earlier, this film has had it's haters. I'm not one of them. But I feel that this film had it's flaws. Along with being about 25 minutes too long, director Patty Jenkins falls into that trap once again of using slow motion during the fight scenes. Now, that super slo-mo isn't as frequently used as in the first movie. But the directors of the DC live action movies have got to say enough's enough with this oft used (and now worn-out) visual trope. 

I also felt that the awesome concept of having wishes come true but with negative consequences was a very good way to use Maxwell Lord in this movie without him becoming Lord Havok. But the way things wrap up with an impassioned speech by Wonder Woman that inspires the world to renounce their wishes, it felt like a remake of The Wizard of Oz. And I hated that part. 

Lastly, the ending itself. This has got to be the first super hero movie I've seen in which the baddies don't get what's coming to them. Lord seems to get a happy ending. And who knows where Barbara Minerva wound up. But it wasn't dead or in jail, I can tell you that. And not having justice served made the conclusion of this film seem unfinished.

We're supposed to have a third Wonder Woman film. The pandemic and the critics didn't seem to do too much to keep Warner Bros. from declaring a hit on their hands. But hopefully, the crew behind this film can learn from it's mistakes to make the third installment a flawless hit. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Essential Thor, Volume 6

This collection of Thor comics proves that the 1970s is my favorite of the Marvel eras. 

The adventure begins in a battle of the myths between the Greeks and Norse as Thor challenges Hercules for the honor of a kidnapped maiden. Then thunder god teams with planet eater Galactus to take on Ego the Living Planet. A plague of fear will engulf the Big Apple leading Thor to return to the guise of Dr. Donald Blake in order to safe his long-lost forbidden love, Jane Foster. And as the pages of this massive volume draw to an end, trouble in Asgard is brewing while Thor is joined by the Warrior Three in a twisty caper through space and time!

This is the penultimate Essential Thor collection. Profits found in insanely expensive color reprints spelled the end of these black and white newsprint beauties. I rushed to my computer to place my order for volume 7 and I wait with baited breath on it's arrival. But as this run of collections is coming to an end, my wish list is about to explore with about 15 years of Thor solo comics from the 80s and early 90s (up to beginning of the Heroes Reborn era.)

A great chapter in not just Marvel history, but Thor's as well. 

Oh, and for those of you keeping score- the events of this volume takes place before Essential Fantastic Four, Volume 8. It's not required to read it this way. But it sure is fun!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Adventures of Blanche

The Adventures of Blanche collects the complete Blanche Trilogy. Created by Rick Geary, this is a whirlwind epic that takes place at the turn of the 20th century all the way through to the beginning of the Jazz Age. Blanche is a young woman with a musical gift. Her talents take her first to the Big Apple, where she is admitted into a training program. Then Blanche is hired to work in a Hollywood that is just in it's infancy. Her adventures wrap up in Paris, where she is hired to score a surreal play created by artist Pablo Picasso.

In the midst of all three adventures, Blanche becomes embroiled with mysterious figures, labor disputes, and strange cults. With a new introduction that frames Blanche's letters back home as being those of his grandmother's, as well as a heavy dose of historical figures, you really wonder if these stories really happened. That adds a dose of realism to the whimsy. But, I doubt that a young woman of this time period would discuss some of the rather 'shocking for the time period' observations to her mother and father; albeit in a series of letters.

I bought this book not for the subject matter but for the writer/artist. Rick Geary is noted for his true crimes graphic novels. They are some dynamic reads. But they are also difficult to come by. The Adventures of Blanche has got that nostalgic flare, which is prevalent in Geary's non-fiction works. But that 'just the facts' approach that Rick Geary takes to his works is missing here. 

I enjoyed this book. But as space in my graphic novel collection is at a premium, it's not a Rick Geary book that holds a deep connection to me to keep. I'll let this one go for some trade credit and the hope that I can find a True Victorian Crime GN for cheap in the future.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents: The Great Disaster Featuring The Atomic Knights

If you are a fan of the classic Jack Kirby disaster title known as Kamandi, this is the essential collection to read! Collecting stories from numerous titles including Action Comics, DC Comics Presents, Weird War Tales, and Strange Tales among others, you will learn everything that lead up to the Great Disaster and the coming of The Last Boy on Earth!

I started this book in September. Then I came across the section on the Atomic Knights. And I fell in love. These post-apocalyptic heroes who wear medieval knights armor (due to it's radiation resistant properties) just resonated with me. Maybe it was because I saw a little of myself in a pandemic atmosphere in the post-nuclear war struggle of those Knights. I'm not saying surviving COVID-19 is on par with surviving the fallout from World War III. But sometimes we find solace in our trials by experiencing worse fates in our fiction reads.

Anyways, by mid-September, I was not looking forward to saying good-bye to the Knights. That's when I came across the 'Thanksgiving. 1990' 2-parter. Being a lover of holiday comics and considering how few Turkey Day books there are out there, I got to extend my goodbyes for a couple of months. Then the holidays hit and I delayed things again.

Thankfully, I knew that there was at least 1 more Atomic Knights story based on this books cover. With the close of that main story, we are introduced to the Greek hero Hercules. The atomic wars weakened the prison in which Ares had trapped the half-human son of Zeus. Upon his released, Zeus befriends a number of humans and seeks revenge on his captor. With a friendly puppy in the mix, I found myself cheating ahead to make sure of one of my unforgivable comic book reading rules isn't broken- That doggie better not die!

While the pages of Atomic Knights and Hercules stories give insight as to why is it that animals turn into humanistic creatures, why do the humans turn into savages and what started the bombs falling in the first place, the last couple of stories inside offer alternatives. One ending is a trippy Superman team-up with those Atomic Knights. The other is a lengthy essay by Paul Levitz that blames the meddling of that dastardly New God, Darkseid. While I liked the adventure with the Man of Steel, I think Levitz's recount is the gospel truth. 

These stories are very Pre-Crisis; which I must admit, I love. The Greek gods aren't as evil as what happens to the Amazons at their hands in the midst of the George Perez Wonder Woman era. So if you adhere to cancel culture, you might have so difficulty admiring the heroic exploits of Hercules and his godly family in this book. But since all this occurs nearly a decade prior to the publisher's 1986's history change, it didn't happen! 

So relax and enjoy an engaging read about a future to come that never come to be!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents The Phantom Stranger, Vol. 2

Volume 1 was a classic collection of spooky stories that had plots that skirted the edge of the supernatural. But more often than not, the villain was revealed to be a Scooby-Doo level bad guy in a mask. Occasionally, we'd get an honest-to-goodness ghost with an occasional UFO alien or monster peppered in. But even then, the true monsters turned out to be ourselves with prejudices and biases. It was an honest representation of horror comics restricted by the Comics Code. 

Volume 2 is comprised of stories published in the early 70s. At this point in comic book history, the restrictions on stories involving demons, vampires and other ghoulies was lifted and it appears that a now unencumbered DC Comics went wild in the pages of Phantom Stranger.

The Phantom Stranger runs afoul of an international cabal of covens. As these worshipers of evil seek to create a literal hell on Earth, they also seek to destroy the Stranger as he's the only thing that is standing in these devils' way!

Occult denier, Dr. Terry Thirteen, is the foil in many of these stories. I love this character. But he's so very much like Scully from The X-Files, as no matter how much sorcery and witchcraft does his witness, Dr. Thirteen always has an answer for why the episodes that just occurred were mere tricks of smoke and mirror. The last story which reprints an epic horror crossover with the House of Secrets and House of Mystery is proof of such blindness! 

This volume also compiles the complete (but short) 'Spawn of Frankenstein' storyline by Len Wein. Based on the Mary Shelley creation, this monster is what will eventually become an Agent of SHADE, and later one of Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers. It was neat seeing his origins, or maybe it's more of a revitalization. Plus, really cool and creative how both the Phantom Stranger and Dr. Thirteen are added to the mix. 

Lastly, if you are fan of Deadman, then this is an essential read. Several of the final handful of Phantom Stranger issues have the ghost of Boston Brand teaming with the Stranger. Albeit, it's a reluctant pairing as Deadman really doesn't trust this guy. It's a crossover to the level of supernatural excellence of Doctor Fate and The Spectre but with a 70s flavor to it.

I liked this volume. But I am more of a purist. When it comes to horror, I am game to just about anything. But if I had to pick the type of horror that I am least a fan of- it's stuff dealing with demons. Ghosts. Witches. Magic. I can deal with. But once you start opening a portal to Hades and adding demonic possession, I'm just not a fan of that. Unfortunately, while Phantom Stranger, Volume 2 still bears the original formula of the series. But we started edging just a bit too much into Linda Blair territory for my liking.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Blue Devil #16

So our new superhero has a name- The Vanquisher. He's like The Punisher if he was once a hall monitor. In other words, Vanquisher likes to get discipline people because he's power mad. And he's got massive chips on his shoulder!

When it comes to Dan Cassidy- Blue Devil just doesn't sit well at all with the Vanquisher. That's because Vanquisher doesn't feel like Dan paid enough dues to become the Blue Devil. 

Being cursed to forever rest inside a big giant blue suit for all eternity by a demon; yeah, that's not due paying worthy. 

Not really sure why we need Vanquisher. He's like when J. Jonah Jameson would create bad guys to battle Spider-Man because JJJ thought that the web-slinger was a villain himself. But here, the reasons why don't quite gel with the hatred of Vanquisher against Blue Devil. Making for this chapter in an otherwise enjoyable and quirky part of 1980s DC Comics a little uneven.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.