Marvel Comics Presents #63

Two segments really come to the front on my mind- the title Wolverine story and a horror legend starring Thor!

With Wolverine, a head injury has caused Wolverine to lose control of his feral side. Now, I know what you are thinking; doesn't Logan have a healing factor? Well, yeah, he does. But he doesn't just heal instantly. So as his brain slowly rewires itself, Wolvie is out of control and on the hunt for a group of mercs who have kidnapped his friend and lover, Tyger Tiger.

With Thor, the god of Thunder recalls a voyage to the new world in which a group of Vikings encounter the devilish Varnae. The last vampire of Atlantis. As most of the colony end up under Varnae's power, Thor must rid the New World of the bloodsuckers. While the story itself was kinda hoo-hum, the ending was killer. Literally. But I also loved how it tied in a local legend from my neck of the woods.

The Poison story is still visually appealing and stylistically bizarre and the Scarlet Witch story ends in the way I expected it to. But I liked that the creep who is the villain behind everything gets what's coming to him.

A very fun issue. Not perfect. But each segment had elements that I enjoyed.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Classics Illustrated #075- Lady of the Lake (2022 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Reading advocate LeVar Burton is quoted as saying 'If your child is passionate about superheroes then dammit, buy them comic books.' I think that quote is more than apropos of the comic being reviewed today. 

Though the cover touted it was 'recommended by educators', Classics Illustrated still got a bad rap. Russian born publisher Albert Lewis Kanter saw the appeal comics had to children and decided to create a line of comic books based on classics of literature. The hope was that child would marvel at the adventures of The Three Musketeers, Ivanhoe and The Count of Monte Cristo (the first 3 subjects in the series) in cartoon form and then head to their local library and search out the real McCoy to read! If LeVar Burton was alive in 1941, I really think he'd be dinging Albert Lewis Kanter's praises.

Despite this bold effort to make learning more accessible for children, some teachers initially frowned upon using comic books as a teaching tool. If you read Jean Shepherd's childhood accounts, there's a great account of him and a friend getting in trouble with sneaking a copy of Robinson Crusoe in class. Even though it was the bane of teachers everywhere, Comics Illustrated thrived from 1941-1969. A total of 169 issues were released along with a sister series devoted to elementary school aged students. Almost every issue was reissued at least twice.

The books were first released as Classic Comics until 1947. With the name change, the book shrunk from 64 to 56 to finally 48 pages. Paper rationing during World War II and rising paper prices were the culprit. 100-page Special issues were released focusing on historical and biographical subjects.

The final change that became probably the most iconic part of the series came in 1951. Instead of simple line-drawn covers, the front page boasted beautiful full color painted covers. Also in 1951, Kanter signed a deal with Curtis Circulation and together they partnership began to directly advertise Classics Illustrated to schools as an educational tool. Beating Clif Notes by 7 years, with the coming of the Atomic Age, Classics Illustrated started to achieve a level of credibility with educators as an introductory tool to works of fine literature. 

Over the years, a number of talented artists worked on Classics Illustrated. John Severin (Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos), Dick Ayers (Fantastic Four), Joe Orlando (Creepy), and Reed Crandall (Blackhawk) were among some of the names who illustrated multiple issues of the series. But when it came to the writing, Albert Kanter let the original text speak for themselves!

Actual lines of text and dialogue were taken directly from the original works and placed into the panels of art. With the case of Classics Illustrated #075 The Lady of The Lake, the story was written by Sir Walter Scott. The story is written in verse instead of prose. Being a Scotsman, many of the verses don't really rhyme on paper. But if you remember how Groundskeeper Willie pronounced things differently, the epic poem's rhythm comes more from the inflection than the vocabulary.

Scott's story of chivalry, honor and romance is a fantasized account of historic events. The noble James Fitz-James becomes lost during a stag hunt. Secretly, Fitz-James is King James V. While lost, he encounters a beautiful maiden named Ellen, who is the daughter of a Scottish Clansman named Douglas. 

Douglas was once a mentor to James. Now an exiled enemy, Douglas is asked to join the dishonorable Roderick Dhu to wage war against King James. Fighting with Roderick is Malcolm, who owns the heart of Ellen. Hoping to save Malcolm, Douglas seeks King James in an attempt to reconcile. But before he surrenders to the King, Douglas kicks major butt in a number of physical challenges.

Ultimately, King James is victorious. He mortally wounds Roderick. Douglas and Malcolm are imprisoned. But when Ellen comes to advocate for her people's release, James and the Maiden both learn whom each other really are. And a happy ending is achieved as father is released and King James joins the Lady of the Lake and Malcolm in matrimony. 

I've never had to use Clif Notes to read a comic book before. But the prose was like reading the King James Bible. (This King James is not the one who authorized that version of the Bible.) There's a bunch of Scottish terms and thankfully, the editors do annotate what some of those words mean. But I was so lost. If not for Wikipedia, I probably wouldn't know what happened or why it did.

I own about a dozen issues of this iconic comic series. Reading a Classic Illustrated is one of my reading challenge tasks. I was going to choose a Western themed issue. But since I had just read a John Wayne Civil War era book, I tried to diversify. I was thinking the Lady in the Lake was the one from Arthurian legend. Gee, was I wrong. 

A beautiful selection from one of the most classic comic book series of all-time. This issue is just one of more difficult issues to navigate due to how it's written and the brogue. But beautifully illustrated and that cover is outta-sight. Unfortunately, the visual appeal isn't enough to make my rating that very high.

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #5 (Issue of Classics Illustrated) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Four Color #1048- The Horse Soldiers (2022 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

John Wayne. One of the top box office draws from the 1940s-60s, Wayne starred in over 170 movies in a career that spanned roughly 50 years. Though his star started to wane in the 1970s, Wayne earned an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for 1969's True Grit.  

In 1959, during the pinnacle of his career, John Wayne starred in a Civil War picture titled The Horse Soldiers. Wayne played Col. John Marlowe, a Union solider sent deep behind enemy lines to destroy a train depot and it's supply train. With Col. Marlowe is regimental surgeon Major Henry Kendall. As Marlowe's wife died during surgery, the Colonel is resentful of doctors. But he understands that will Kendall around, many of his troops will survive this mission. 

Joining the troops on the mission is Miss Hannah Hunter. Normally a Southern Belle wouldn't be a part of a union secret mission. But since Hunter and her servant Lukey know of the Union's agenda, they're both along for the ride until it's mission accomplished.

The Horse Soldiers was directed by John Ford, a frequent Wayne collaborator. Based on same name novel by Harold Sinclair, the film was distributed by United Artists. Though number one at the box office, The Horse Soldiers has been regarded as a Hollywood failure. That's because the $4 million dollar box office was not enough to recoup the high salaries of both Wayne and costar William Holden (Stalag 17).

One surprise name attached to the film is that of Althea Gibson. A professional golfer and tennis player, Gibson was the first black woman to win a grand slam title when she won the French Championships in 1956. Wimbledon and the US Nationals were won in '57. Gibson repeated those two titles the following year. The Horse Soldiers was Gibson's only film credit. While her role as Lukey did not garner her any award nods, she was praised for her refusal to say her lines in ' the stereotypical 'negro' dialect written in the script.'

The Horse Soldiers was released as part of Dell's Four-Color Series, issue #1048. The script was written by Gaylord Du Bois (Turok, Son of Stone). Wonder Woman's Mike Sekowsky penciled. The cover artwork was taken from the theatrical poster. This was not the only movie tie-in released by Dell. They also reissued the complete Harold Sinclair novel (Dell F76) with a completely different painted cover that seems to show John Wayne's character atop a steed.

Having never seen this film, I don't know how accurate the adaptation is to the film. However, I can say that the ending seems rushed. The story plot is summarized with production stills in the front inner cover. Yet, some of that introductory material is omitted from the comic itself, primarily General Grant giving his orders to Col. Marlowe. The inner back cover is utilized to finish out the story which sees Marlowe and Kendall parting ways. The artwork seems to resemble Wayne fairly well. But I couldn't pick the other actors out of a lineup; much less really telling if Sekowsky captured the likenesses of Holden, Gibson and the rest. 

Overall, an entertaining story. Good art. But the plotting seemed uneven. The opening scene seems to take over 1/3 of book's roughly 64 pages. The climatic final battle- less than 2!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #25 (Set in the 1800s) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Marvel Comics Presents #62

A new Wolverine story begins in this issue.

Tyger Tiger and another accomplice of Wolverine's are kidnapped by a group of mercs hired by a rival gang leader with his eyes on Madripoor. Wolverine is right on their trail. When a blow to the head causes Wolverine to lose control, his feral side is unleashed. 

I've always heard that Wolverine had to keep his unbridled side under wraps. But in 40 plus years of reading comic books, I've never experienced that before. Until now! And I must say, this is the time of type starring Logan I can get behind. I think it's because he's lousy internal voice is silenced in this one. 

Yeah, yeah. Wolverine is the best at what he does. And what he does isn't very nice. But I like my Wolverine stories when he doesn't mention all that all the time. Go figure.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Pat McCormick's Charley & Humphrey #1 (Family Comic Friday)

If you grew up in the bay area during the 1960s or 70s, then does this edition of Family Comic Friday have a treat for you. Pat McCormick's Charley and Humphrey are back in a new series of comic books from 10 Ton Press.

Now I'm not from San Francisco. In fact, the furthest West I've ever gotten is Albuquerque. But I remember seeing some of the exploits of Charley (the Horse) and Humphrey (the Dog) a couple of years back in a documentary about local TV kids shows. Last month, when I saw the notice for this new series, I placed an order through my favorite LCS because I remembered how funny these two puppet pets were. 

After a couple of weeks of waiting, my copy finally turned up. COVID is still causing shipping delays from Diamond Distributing. But I must say, this premier issue was worth the wait. 

Issue #1 has Charley very nervous about having to make a speech that will christen a new ship at the docks where the horse works. Roommate Humphrey is a little peeved at not being invited to the big event. That's mostly because where Humphrey treads, trouble follows. And follows it does when a batch of nasty fleas decide that horse meat is a tastier treat than dog. 

Expect a lot of laughs and a bunch of mayhem when Humphrey takes the Bay area's slowest means of mass transit to stop the fleas from ruining Charley's big day at the docks!

I really enjoyed this comic. The writing was very well balanced between big slapsticky jokes and dry witticisms between the bus driver and Humphrey. Be sure to explore the backgrounds of each pages as there are some great Easter egg gags hiding. 

I liked the artwork too. It mostly captures the look and style of Pat McCormick's puppets very well. Though the way artist John Hageman positions each character's mouth when they are speaking in some odd off-kilter way did irk me somewhat. Overall, I liked the style which looked like an animated sibling of Spongbob Squarepants and Ren & Stimpy.

Even though I compare the artwork in this book to one of the most controversial kids cartoons of all-time, this issue was wholesome fun. Writer Justin Sane made sure to make the good clean fun very clever. Nothing is dumbed down here; meaning that kids and adults will find something in this book to enjoy. 

This is the first all-ages work from 10 Ton Press. The Indy publisher is mostly known for it's line of rock and roll biographical one-shots which are not for kids. But you'd never know it hear. The publisher has plans for at least 10 issues to be released bi-monthly. Meaning issues #2 should be hitting stores in March. 

If you grew up to Charley & Humphrey and your grandkids or kids love to read- get them this book! Preorder it! In the meantime while you wait, fire up Youtube where there are dozens of skits starring Charley, Humphrey and friends to watch. Each are less than 2 minutes long. Each are guaranteed to make you laugh!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

 

The Three Stooges TV Time Special #1

Larry, Moe and Curly shine in a pair of all-new stories in this 2017 special from American Mythology. 

The first yarn has the boys going on a budget vacation. Using Shemp's car, the fellas are heading to the beach. But thanks to a traffic jam, Moe decides to take the scenic route. Which we all know never goes poorly!

The second story has the guys competing in a Double Dare type game show. The tasks the contestants have to complete harkens back to some classic Stooges bits. But it's the punchline to the story that only the most loyal of Stooges fans will get. (Madman translation- I kinda got it but it's also something that doesn't provide an 'A-ha!' moment for me either.)

Though this is called the Three Stooges TV Time Special, only one of the stories is about television. Well, I assume the game show story is about a TV show. I don't recall seeing any studio cameras. I know that the Stooges are considered icons of TV, but they got their start on stage and later screen. In other words, it doesn't make sense to me why this is a TV Time special.

As with just about every American Mythology comic featuring the Three Stooges, there's extra material. Along with a couple of one-page gags from probably Dell or Gold Key, there's an article on the Stooges exhibit at Geppi's Entertainment Museum. I knew that the GEM in Baltimore closed before the pandemic. That's how I realized that this wasn't a recent release even though I just purchased this on the new releases shelf at my LCS. But that's okay! I wasn't feeling all that great and appreciated the pick-me-up.

There's also an interview with a Stooges super-fan. One that also happens to be a priest. So you heard it here first- The Three Stooges are kid tested, man of the cloth approved!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #61

The Hulk and Wolverine team-up story comes to an end with a surprisingly bright ending. One that I was very very pleased with. And look at that cover. It's so stunning. By Vision and the Scarlet Witch artist Richard Howell, I wonder how many covers starring Wolverine and the Hulk can be considered 'beautiful.' I know this one is!

The one-and-done story has a blast from Doctor Strange's past, Marjorie Brink. Now this is a character that only appears in this one issue. But she apparently played a major role in Strange's life as a former lover. In only 8 pages, this story spans decades. A fanciful tale that does a ton in just a very brief amount of time.

In the Scarlet Witch story, Wanda has awaken in the past. Looking in a mirror, she looks like herself but she's wearing pirate garb. Turns out that the creep from the last issue sent her consciousness into a distant relative who happens to sail the 7 seas while practicing witchcraft. 

I just shuddered. What is happening to Wanda Maximoff's body in the present day?

The Poison story is weird. I'm not sure where her path with the homeless, and possibly mentally ill Mop Man is going. I'm empathetic to her secret identity plight as a struggling single mom. Plus the art by Star Wars' Cindy Martin is amazingly alluring. But I have zero idea where this tale is going.

Not a bad issue. Not perfect either. I guess this is one of those diamond in the rough issues.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.