On The Shelf: Free Comic Book Day 2024, conclusion

 One last stack of Free Comic Book Day entries to review. Your actual mileage may vary, of course.

Disney's Darkwing Duck isn't the only superhero duck.

Arcana Studios' Ultraduck mines the same comedy-adventure vein, but with more of an emphasis on the latter. Ultraduck isn't as polished as he would like everyone to believe, but he's trying. Meanwhile, he may just have some competition waiting for him if/when he ever returns home. The artwork by Omar Lozano & Bere Muniz complements Edgar Delgado's script beautifully. I think this series comes out in graphic novels only.

Rating: A.

Gemstone Publishing is the current home of the Overstreet Comics Price Guide, and is back to publishing comics, something they hadn't done since holding the license for Disney in the 90's for a hot minute.

Romeo vs. Juliet, a Kill Shakespeare Adventure brings one of The Bard's most famous tales into the 21st century, but we are so not digging the concept.

Rating: C.

Boom! Studios' 10th anniversary Boom Box compilation is a legitimate mixed bag. Leading off is a Lumberjanes short making good use of manga artwork in an American book, albeit a preview of a pending trade. We've been curious about Zawa & The Belly of The Beast, which has some appeal, but, like the Lumberjanes entry, is too short. Not really sold on The Midas Flesh or Giant Days.

Rating: B.

Also from Boom! is The Worlds of James Tynion IV, showcasing three series he's writing for the publisher, most especially Something is Killing The Children, a dark, disturbing series geared for high schoolers.Memetic and The Woods follow the same pattern. 

Rating: B.

American Mythology serves up Cursedverse, which represents their original works as opposed to their licensed titles (i.e. The Three Stooges). You get to meet characters like the Night Terror, the Cemetorian, Witch Hammer, and Bombshell & TommTomm. For people who are into the Tynionverse at Boom!, but with better artwork.

Rating: A-.

Marvel's Voices takes readers on a world tour previewing their Community 1-shot, featuring Ghost Spider (Spider-Gwen), Spider-Man, and the Spider-Man of India in separate tales, plus Gambit and Shuri. If these 1-offs weren't so expensive, it'd be easier to recommend.

Rating: A.

Video game fans will enjoy Street Fighter vs. Final Fight (Udon). Yes, they're still doing Street Fighter after all these years. It's indie titles like these that need more attention, since they don't stand out on the shelves, blocked by the bigger labels.

Rating: B+.

For the small fry:

Unicorn Crush (Andrews McMeel) continues the series of stories of Phoebe & Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson. If your public library gets these graphic novels, we suggest borrowing them for 2 weeks to maximize your child's enjoyment.

The same goes for Random House's two-fer of Max Meow and Katie The Catsitter. Delightful fun for grade schoolers.

Rating for both: A.

On The Shelf: Free Comic Book Day 2024, part 2

 40 years ago, American audiences were introduced to the Transformers, as Hasbro acquired the rights to produce the fabled toys here after they were originally introduced in Japan.

Today, Hasbro & Image Comics are developing a shared universe that also includes G. I. Joe and Robert Kirkman's latest, Void Rivals.

Transformers leads off the Energon Universe 2024 Special, written by Daniel Warren Johnson & illustrated by Ryan Ottley. Unlike the average, creator owned Image title, there's no coarse language, largely because Hasbro won't allow it, since it's being marketed not just to teenagers, but pre-teens as well. Older fans can probably picture Optimus Prime still with the voice of actor Peter Cullen, who's still going strong 40 years after that first Transformers cartoon here in the US.

Your actual mileage may vary.

Void Rivals gets just a measly 6 pages by comparison, and this is the new kid on the block, by comparison. I don't have high hopes for the Energon line to survive, but Kirkman's books do tend to have a long shelf life (i.e.The Walking Dead, Invincible), so this could outlive its initial directives.

Over in G. I. Joe, one of Cobra's long time lieutenants, the Baroness, is being recruited to join the Joes. Joshua Williamson's excerpt gets 8 pages. I think I know how this is going to go. Can you say, "Trojan horse"?

Overall rating: B-.

Hellboy is back, but a story written, but not drawn, by series creator Mike Mignola, hits different. Mark Laszlo's cleaner style aspires to have a Silver Age vibe, but falls short. I'm not a fan of Stranger Things, which acts as the backup feature here. I haven't seen Jonathan Case's work (related to Richard Case,perhaps?), but it, too, tries for that Silver Age vibe. 

Overall rating: B.

Disney Junior is no longer available on Spectrum Cable, and you'd have to have Disney+ just to access any of their shows. That said, the 2nd annual Spidey & His Amazing Friends entry presents a seemingly reformed Rhino as a supporting character. A character change waaaaaaaaaaaay overdue, in this writer's opinion. Seeing Rhino & Hulk play home run derby is one of the highlights.

Rating: A.

While Marvel has a full line of Star Wars books for teens & up, Dark Horse has Young Jedi Adventures for the elementary school set. An entertaining primer to warm the kiddo's up for the core line as they get older.

I don't recommend Plants vs. Zombies, though.

Overall rating: B--.

Speaking of Star Wars, Marvel's core title continues the company's tradition, dating back to the original series in the 70's & 80's, with the franchise, and the ads are inviting new readers to check out as much of the line as their hearts & wallets desire.

Rating: B.

To close this edition, John Patrick Green's InvestiGators are back with a preview of Class Action, a graphic novel due from First Second Press in September. Delightful fun for the kiddo's. I'm just surprised no one's tried to adapt this into a cartoon for streaming. Yeah, Netflix, I'm looking at you.

Rating: A.

On The Shelf: Free Comic Book Day '24, and new releases

 Let's start with some new releases over the last few weeks.

Marvel has revived its MAX imprint, now known as MAX Comics, with the release of Get Fury, a miniseries that is focused more on a pre-Punisher Frank Castle, who is finally depicted as a Marine.

Set in Vietnam in the 60's, Nick Fury has been captured by the Viet Cong, and Castle and his unit have been sent to not so much extract him, but kill him if he is forced to give up important secrets. The MAX line allows Marvel to go R-rated (listed as explicit content), which is right in the wheelhouse for writer Garth Ennis (The Boys, Preacher, etc.). Artist Jacen Burrows uses a mix of styles, somewhere between Darick Robertson and the late Darwyn Cooke, and paints a clean picture for the reader.

Get past the F-bombs being used on virtually every page, and you'll be fine.

Cover artist Dave Johnson paid homage to Castle's 1st ever cover as Punisher (Amazing Spider-Man back in the 70's) with the 1st issue cover.

Rating: A-.

It is said that Dick Tracy creator Chester Gould meant for his hero to be a satire of standard crime drama conventions, but readers ate it up just the same.

Former Archie Comics writer/editor Alex Segura saw an opportunity to bring some realism to Tracy. Paired with co-author Michael Moreci, Segura accomplished his mission with Tracy making his Mad Cave Studios debut that explores just how Tracy built himself into legend status, and, as well, his infamous rogues gallery, set in an unnamed city circa 1947. I can't say enough about artist Geraldo Borges, really, that would do him justice.

Segura was in town yesterday for Free Comic Book Day, and I was kicking myself for not bringing my copy of the 1st issue for an autograph. I did give him a tip on a certain shop across the river that I frequent.....!

Anyway, whatever your reservations, this is a good read, since the Tracy strip is no longer available locally in the newspapers, and can be found online. (MSN.com would be a good start).

Rating: A.

Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast, the flagship of [adult swim] in its early years, turns 30 this year. Space Ghost as a franchise turns 60 in 2 years. 20 years after DC had Joe Kelly & Yanick Paquette create an origin for the Phantom of The Spaceways, Dynamite, the current license holder, had David Pepose & Jonathan Lau create a more definitive origin, specifically how Space Ghost met his young wards, Jan & Jace.

In any case, this is the Space Ghost most of us grew up with via reruns in the 70's (I was but a toddler when the series first aired in 1966). Local artist John Hebert contributed what is touted as a retailer exclusive that he's likely showcasing at the Philadelphia Comic-Con this weekend. An excerpt of this issue can be found in a Dynamite entry for Free Comic Book Day, which we'll talk about shortly.

Rating: A.

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Speaking of Free Comic Book Day:

Fall Out Boy frontman Pete Wentz has hooked up with Vault Comics for his first comics project.

Dying Inside is a graphic novel being previewed, and tells the story of a teenager who idolized Elliott Smith, and, at the same time, wants to end it all. This black & white tome, co-written by Hannah Klein & illustrated by Lisa Sterle, is meant to be a cautionary tale against teen suicides, but as the cover suggests, also addresses the usual debunked stereotypes about rock music.

Rating: B.

Popeye returns to comics, this time at Massive, with Lie-Eye Popeye, which officially launches next month. The book is written & drawn by Marcus Williams, with the artwork in a manga-inspired style, and they cite Dragon Ball & One Piece as sources of inspiration, but there is one flaw.

With 9 panels to a page, the lettering should be a little bit bigger so the reader doesn't have to squint like Popeye to read the dialogue. The plot is all about trying to explain how Popeye lost his right eye, and a protege of the Sea Hag is in the midst of it all, with Bluto putting aside his feud to help Popeye.

Well, blow me down. It was just 25 years ago that Peter David married Popeye & Olive off, and Williams doesn't really establish if that marriage made it into his plot.

Rating: B-.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles first appeared some 40 years ago. As IDW marks 25 years of publishing, they're rebooting their Turtles series to #1 in July with a new creative team of Jason Aaron & Joelle Jones (meaning it'll be at least bi-monthly, given Jones' inability to keep deadlines at DC), and, at the same time, previewing a miniseries that presents one of the boys as a Batman parody, the Night Watcher. Half the fun is figuring out who it is. 

Rating: B.

Archie is getting a ton of mileage out of their horror line, and darkening second and third tier characters to make them presentable to grim-dark obsessed readers who don't know any better.

The Cursed Library continues the darkening of Jinx Holliday (formerly L'il Jinx), who has been repackaged as the daughter of the devil. Oh, please. Give me a break. In the context of this 0 issue, Jinx is holding Madam Satan prisoner, with the villain's face wrapped in bandages for whatever. Editor-writer Jamie Rotante uses excerpts from recent 1-shots to help frame the story.

Personally, I've got a better idea on how to use Jinx, and not like this.

Rating: C.

For months, Dynamite withheld the creative team for their adaptation of Jonny Quest, who turns 60 this year. Veteran writer Joe Casey, aided by artist Sebastian Piriz, sends the Quest team on a time trip. I think I already know who the villain is, and it ain't Dr. Zin.

The backup features are excerpts from Space Ghost (see above) and ThunderCats. The 1st issue of Jonny Quest is promised for July, but is not being solicited in Previews, which suggests a delay to August.

Chris Samnee provided the cover, inspired by Jonny's creator, Doug Wildey.

Rating: Incomplete.

Fantagraphics is working with Marvel on a trade collection of reprints from the Atlas era of the 50's, featuring the art of the likes of Joe Maneely, Bill Everett, Basil Wolverton, and Gene Colan. Wolverton's "Where Monsters Dwell" inspired the Marvel anthology of the 70's.

Rating: A.

Over at Titan, someone got a clue and decided to try to create a shared universe of Robert E. Howard's characters, including Conan The Barbarian, Solomon Kane, and others. This will start in Savage Sword of Conan in September, and there are plans for a Conan miniseries later this summer. The preview, Conan: Battle of The Black Stone, sets the tone. I'm interested.

Rating: B+.

Mad Cave previewed two forthcoming series, and gave away its publishing schedule for the summer.

Flash Gordon, last seen at Dynamite, returns in a new series by Jeremy Adams & Will Conrad, but the opening arc is meant to be a shocker. One of the variant covers for the first issue, due in July, pays homage to the infamous 1980 movie. The plan is to have the 2nd issue come out in September, then finish the arc on a monthly schedule, while a second, quarterly title, also debuts. Hmmmmmm.

Gatchaman debuts next month, with issue 2 out in August, and a miniseries built around the villains debuting in July. If you thought you knew G-Force from the American adaptations dating back to Battle of The Planets in 1978, you're in for surprises, and a treat. That's all I'll say.

Ratings:

Gatchaman: A.

Flash Gordon: Incomplete.

More FCBD next time.

On The Shelf: Public domain has its advantages, and other ruminations

 We're continuing our series of reviews of this year's Free Comic Book Day.

Marvel's most ambitious project for the summer brings the Avengers, Eternals, & X-Men together in Judgment Day. Recent storylines have brought the latter two groups closer in scope than originally conceived by co-creator Jack Kirby (who was the sole creator of The Eternals in the mid-70's). Anyway, the living island of Krakoa has returned to X-continuity as a prominent player. Personally, I long for the simpler, less complex plots of Chris Claremont back in the 80's than this shmozzola. 

What's even worse is how Moira McTaggert, the former companion of Banshee and confidant to the X-Men, has been rebooted as a malevolent android. I'd like to meet the jabroni who came up with that idea, and who also decided that Spider-Man's honey, Mary Jane Watson, is a player in this drama.

The Bible tells us love of money is the root of all evil. Marvel is run by Disney, which has its own problems, but the writers of these books need to go back to creative writing 101.

Rating: C.

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Before Daredevil was introduced to Marvel readers in the 60's, Lev Gleason had created a different iteration of the character, repackaged as the Death Defying Devil for Dynamite's Project Superpowers line. However this DD has fallen into the public domain with some of Gleason's other creations, and so, Comic House decided to bring Daredevil, Silver Streak, and other heroes together for a new book, Equilibrium, which has them in a dystopian future (here we go again) against their old foe, The Claw, who has done the impossible, and taken over the world.

Writer Keith Champagne is better known for his past work as an inker at DC back in the 90's. There are too many doom & gloom books already, and this is not a good way to reintroduce heroes like Silver Streak to a new generation. Ugh.

Rating: C.

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Former AEW women's champion Nyla Rose, a transgender woman and Native American, collaborated with Steve Orlando to produce a 1-shot showcasing the X-Men's Thunderbird. John Proudstar held the distinction of being the first of the "new" X-Men of the 70's to be killed off, and brother James later was part of Emma Frost's Hellions before both resurfaced. This is a labor of love, but with the labryinthine X-continuity these days, Proudstar deserves a solo series devoid of such tangled drama.

Rating: A-.

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Archie Comics' The Fox returns in a 1-shot special, written & drawn by Dean Haspiel. Paul Patton has reconciled with his wife, code-named She-Fox, and with son Sunji, aka Ghost Fox. Haspiel has taken the old "superheroes with problems" trope Stan Lee mined at Marvel back in the 60's, and raised it to 11. Included is a reprint from the 1983 Black Hood series, but this Fox tale is written & drawn by the legendary Alex Toth, who was an influence on Haspiel, to be sure. Take it or leave it.

Rating: B-.

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Comics on the tube: The CW is delaying the 3rd season of Stargirl to the fall, likely October, where it will air on Wednesday nights. Apparently, the new season is still in production. Greg Berlanti's remaining comics adaptations, The Flash, Riverdale, & Superman & Lois, plus the freshman drama, Gotham Knights, are all being held to mid-season (winter 2023), and it's clear now that Riverdale will say goodbye after 7 seasons at the end of the 2022-3 season. Mischa Collins (ex-Supernatural) is co-starring in Knights as Harvey Dent.

We talked about this over at Saturday Morning Archives, but it bears mentioning here. WB was planning on a movie featuring the Wonder Twins, Zan & Jayna, but not as an adaptation of Mark Russell & Stephen Byrne's acclaimed 2019-20 series. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav shut the project down, citing a massive budget in the neighborhood of $75 million, so the movie, which was intended for HBO Max, will not go forward.

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Fans of Bill Willingham's acclaimed Vertigo series, Fables, are rejoicing over the return of the series with a 12 part arc, drawn by series artists Mark Buckingham & Steve Leialoha. To illustrate how far out of the loop I've been since I was forced to give up the series a few years ago, Bigby Wolf, who recently co-starred with Batman, is married to Snow White (!!). Whodathunk? Going shopping for trade paperbacks to get caught up on what I've missed.

Rating: A.

On The Shelf: Free Comic Book Day '22 revisited, part 2

 Having developed a number of alternate realities for their namesake, Archie Comics wanted to properly honor Archie for his 80th anniversary last year, but the topping is an anthology 1-shot, hitting stores next month, and previewed with a 0 issue for Free Comic Book Day.

The Best Archie Comic Ever covers most, but not all, alternate realities, including the Superteens era (though it's only Archie as Pureheart The Powerful), behind a great cover by Jamal Igle. You'd need a road map to follow Fred Van Lente's script, however. I think he's trying to copy Tom King's formula over at DC, but it's a little weak.

Rating: C.

Epicenter Comics is an indie company few have heard about. However, their preview of their July graphic novel, Tex: In The Land of The Seminoles, could be a sleeper. It's a throwback to the black & white treats of the 70's from Marvel. And it's an import from Italy, translated into English. Ya might want to keep an eye open.

Rating: B.

June is Pride Month, and Marvel offers up a preview of this year's Marvel Voices volume, due later this month. This is the 3rd annual edition, featuring not only LGTBQIA+ characters, but also established characters like Black Panther, Shang-Chi, and Moon Girl w/Devil Dinosaur. A nice mix. Your actual mileage may vary.

Rating: B.

DC's big summer event, Dark Crisis, will actually extend all the way to the end of the year. They want to milk killing off the Justice League pro tempore, but you and I know it won't last. The League will return in 2023 or sooner. The more they push these "events", the nuttier they get. And people actually dig. Not this writer.

Rating: B-.

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We noted this over at Saturday Morning Archives earlier, but it bears repeating here. Dark Horse has recruited a pair of writers who've worked on [adult swim]'s hit series, Rick & Morty, to craft a miniseries that is best described as Sesame Street as envisioned by George Orwell. Or, in this modern context, given the last item, Joshua Williamson.

Survival Street, out in August, is a dark political satire that is a direct shot at present-day Republican politics, and what could happen if it remains unchecked. Not for preschoolers.

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The CW, a network with a "for sale" sign, has axed a 3rd DC comics series.

Less than 48 hours after a 2 part season finale, Naomi was one of five series getting the axe, while Gotham Knights has been green-lit for next season. No word on whether or not the network's ill-advised live-action updating of Powerpuff Girls is still moving forward, and Justice U, a star vehicle for David Ramsey, didn't make the cut, but could still show up.

Kaci Walfall as Naomi. Courtesy CW via TVLine.

What doomed Naomi was it was bleeding viewers from its lead-in, Superman & Lois, which has already been renewed for a 3rd season. The network stretching out its 13 episodes the way they did with frequent hiatus periods didn't help, and was actually counter-productive, in this writer's opinion. The Season 2 miniseries has reached its halfway point, but I'd not be surprised if co-creator Brian Bendis, no longer exclusive to DC, could close it out when the series ends in August.

On The Shelf: Free Comic Book Day '22 revisited, part 1

 Free Comic Book Day has come & gone, and now it's time to take a look at some of this year's offerings, which we'll do over the next few days.

In advance of the forthcoming movie starring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, the League of Super Pets will star in a graphic novel of their own, previewed in a sampler.

"The Great Mxy-Up" would've worked better if the reader actually gets to see the villain of the piece---Mr. Mxyzptlk, of course----in this preview. Writer Heath Corson has written comics and movies (i.e. "Justice League: War") for DC & WB, but he's reaching when it comes to the Super-Pets. No Streaky, the Supercat? Instead of Jumpa the kangaroo, which was Wonder Woman's pet back in the day, the Amazon gets a pig? An inside joke referencing an episode of Justice League Unlimited that a lot of younger readers who didn't see that series won't get. Flash has a turtle? Another inside joke.

Parents, ya might want to stock up on any Silver Age comics featuring some of the pets, including Jumpa. Also, Ch'p (rechristened Chip) here is pet and partner to fellow Green Lantern Jessica Cruz. As for the movie, I'm afraid not even The Rock can save this turkey.

Rating: C-.

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In two years, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will have officially turned 40. This year marks their 10th anniversary on Nickelodeon, and the 35th anniversary of their television debut. IDW is honoring the original Kevin Eastman/Peter Laird classics with a throwback story arc, "The Armageddon Game".  Eastman & Laird's original short is represented, alongside a preview of the new arc by Tom Waltz & Sophie Campbell, which is a love letter to long time Turtles fans, and stylistically captures the spirit of the original books of the mid-80's. They're even throwing in the first female turtle, Venus de Milo, from Saban's 1999 series, Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, a one season wonder for Fox. True Turtle fans won't miss.

Rating: A.

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Papercutz has a nice little treat for the younger set, but it also works for older readers.

We've seen funny animals play baseball before, and I don't mean Bugs Bunny vs. the Gas House Gorillas. Warners also did one where an elephant was called on to help a down and out team. Acclaimed author John Steven Gurney and Papercutz introduce comics fans to the Fernwood Valley Fuzzies. A funny animal analogue to, say for example, the "Bad News Bears" little leaguers. Fuzzy Baseball is a delightful treat for the whole family, and will introduce the kiddo's, if they haven't seen them already, to Gurney's past works. I'm begging them to plug it on MLB Network!!

Rating: A+.

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When Dynamite obtained the license to adapt Robert E. Howard's Red Sonja, no one gave a thought that the company would exploit the character like they have. They also acquired reprint rights to Sonja's earliest comics adventures from Marvel, which began with Marvel Feature (2nd series) in 1975, not 1973, as the publisher mistakenly claims. Issue 4 of that short-lived series is reprinted in Dynamite's FCBD offering for Sonja, illustrated by Frank Thorne, and written by Bruce Jones, who became a bigger name in the 80's. In short, Sonja battles what she thinks is a gorgon. Emphasize thinks. A backup feature written by Cullen Bunn is also mistakenly identified as something originally done in 1973, but that might actually be a misprint. Looking at this, nearly 50 years after its original publication, Thorne's Sonja is exactly what you'd expect, but everything else looks a little too busy.

Rating: B.

On The Shelf: Free Comic Book Day '21 revisited, and other things of interest

 Time to catch up on some reading.

Last month's Free Comic Book Day releases were a mixed bag. Your actual mileage may vary. We'll just do some thumbnail analysis to save space.

Marvel, for example, previewed forthcoming storylines for The Avengers and Hulk, coming in November.

In the case of the Avengers, a new iteration of the Masters of Evil, from a bizarre future, and led by Dr. Doom, who's been one busy fellow lately, emerges. Hulk, meanwhile, has decided to leave Earth again, this time by his own choice, declaring himself a, ah, Smashtronaut. Really clever, eh?

Ratings: 

Avengers: B-, Hulk A-.

And, then, you have Venom & Spider-Man.

In the wake of the King in Black event, Eddie Brock, the original Venom, has passed his symbiote down to his son, Dylan, which begs to ask where Eddie got the time to actually have a family, unless he had one before he met Venom. Eddie's the new King in Black, but don't think he won't be returning to Earth, because inevitably, he will.

The latest stupid idea with Amazing Spider-Man is to bring back Ben Reilly, the clone from the 90's, and put him back in the suit. Like, the next Spider-movie is not too far down the line, so why take Peter Parker out of play, even for a few months? Because it's a cash grab. Period.

Ratings:

Amazing Spider-Man: Beyond: C, Venom: B.

DC's heavy summer push of the Suicide Squad includes spinning off King Shark into his own miniseries, written by Tim Seeley, and illustrated by Scott Kolins. This is not the rumblin', mumblin' comedy relief voiced by Sylvester Stallone in the movie, but rather, a more definitive version. Instead of Ratcatcher II, he gets the Defacer, an old friend of Nightwing's, as a tag along for a homecoming trip. The timing of the 1-shot is a little off, coming as it does a week after the movie, and after a Black Label miniseries, Suicide Squad: Get Joker, had launched. That gets a delayed "preview" in the back-up feature.

Brian Azzarello and Alex Maleev send the Squad after the Clown Prince of Crime, another busy dude, and even with the Black Label format, Azzarello doesn't give up all of his inhibitions, else there'd be more reason to tout the 3-issue mini. He does send Harley Quinn and the Squad to a strip club, which seems to be a personal fetish of Azzarello's.

Ratings:

King Shark: B-, Get Joker: A+.

Valiant recently revived some of their OG heroes from the 90's, but with mixed results.

Ninjak is cover-featured in Valiant 2021, with a beautiful cover by Tyler Kirkham. That's the good news. The bad? Javier Pulido is the series artist, instead of Kirkham, and that is a mistake. Jeff Parker is a proven commodity as a writer (i.e. Batman '66), but a Parker-Kirkham team makes more sense. Pulido is the wrong artist on this book.

X-O Manowar has already relaunched, with Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum, a long time Marvel writer, on board to script the series. Aric isn't the fish out of water he was 30 years ago, which is a good thing.

They've rebooted The Harbinger, this time as a solo act. Nice art by Robbi Rodriguez, but I'm not digging the concept.

Ratings:

X-O Manowar: A, The Harbinger: B-, Ninjak: D.

American Mythology's World of Zorro collects material from recent miniseries, including a preview of the new Zorro: Flights, written by Don McGregor, who scripted the Zorro series for Topps Comics in the 90's. As you'd expect, it's a mixed bag.

Rating: B.

With Batman Day next week, DC's other FCBD entry previews John Ridley's I Am Batman, starring Timothy "Jace" Fox, Luke's brother, who hadn't been seen in comics in years. Also, there's a preview of the latest Bat-event, Fear State, which they're hoping to tie to the Future State event from the first part of the year, as if they think that will be a canonical future. It isn't, not in this business. The new villain created by outgoing Bat-scribbler James Tynion IV, Simon Saint, looks like another nerd on the order of Jonathan Crane, aka the Scarecrow, who they're trying to make into more of a major player. Jorge Jiminez's artwork shines, but that's about it. Not digging the concept.

I Am Batman, drawn by Travel Foreman, looks like a better bet. Waiting on the trade paperback on this one.

Ratings: I Am Batman: A-, Fear State: B--. Invest in Fear State at your own risk.

Dynamite Entertainment has pushed some of their licensed properties to the max, overmilking the golden geese because they don't know any better, or that they think their target audience hasn't grown up.

For example, Vampirella, under the guidance of veteran Christopher Priest, is experiencing an identity crisis. And people think this is compelling drama?!? Not to me, it ain't.

Rating: C-.

Next year, the original movie version of "Blade Runner" turns 40. Titan Books has two series based on the franchise, which was born in a Philip K. Dick novel many moons ago. If you're already belt-deep into the franchise, you're already invested. Blade Runner: 2023 & Blade Runner: Origins stand on their own.

Rating for both: A.

Finally, Ablaze has the license for the comics version of Netflix's Philippines import, Trese. Drawn in noir-style black & white, the preview of a trade volume includes a central player in an episode of the anime miniseries (which we reviewed at Saturday Morning Archives). Meet Alexandra Trese:

Rating: A.

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Now, for some current releases:

Archie Comics' lone regular series running these days is the bi-monthly Archie & Friends anthology, which has a #1 for each issue. The current issue, #15, comes way too early for its theme, as it's a Halloween number featuring Betty & Veronica in one new story, plus some recent reprints. Sabrina shows up in that lead feature, too, and the Sabrina-centric reprint had previously been used for Halloween Comic-Fest a few years back. The sight of girl-next-door Betty Cooper in a witch's hat and fishnet stockings on the cover, as drawn by Dan Parent, is worth the price of admission.

The traditional style has held out as the "New Riverdale", introduced six years ago, has hit too many bumps in the road, coupled with corporate issues.

Rating for the issue: B.

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DC decided to revisit the animated universe, but it appears they're treating Justice League Infinity as an ongoing series. Series producer-director and sometime writer James Tucker teams with J. Marc DeMatteis for a DCAU spin on the just concluded Infinite Frontier miniseries, covering virtually the same ground. However, the tease for the 4th issue, due next month, will remind Super Friends fans of a plot line from the mid-80's that was cringe-worthy then, and still is. Ugh.

Rating: B-.

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Epix's Pennyworth, now in its 2nd season, finally merits a comics adaptation from DC, a 7 issue miniseries, which further posits young Alfred Pennyworth as DC's answer to James Bond, long before he ever met the Batman. Producers Bruno Heller & Danny Cannon (ex-Gotham) may very well have had Bond in mind when conceiving the show. Then again, after the trainwreck that Gotham became, anything is better.

Rating: A.

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In the tradition of Batman '66, DC has released two new miniseries that provide fan service for specific cinematic periods of two cherished, iconic franchises.

Superman '78, by Robert Venditti & Wilfredo Torres, continues the story begun in the first "Superman" movie. Torres tries to hew as close as he can to the actors (i.e. Christopher Reeve, Jackie Cooper) in his designs, while at the same time offering ideas on what would've followed, as Brainiac factors into this 6 issue set.

Meanwhile, Sam Hamm, whose last work for DC was helping to adapt his first "Batman" script for director Tim Burton, helms Batman '89, and teases that he & Burton had intentions of introducing Two-Face into the mix, but not in the way that Burton's replacement, Joel Schumacher, did. Harvey Dent (Billy Dee Williams) is a little rougher around the edges here, suggesting the influence of the Burton-influenced animated series that followed 1992's "Batman Returns". This is fun reading.

Ratings: Superman '78: B-, Batman '89: A-.

=================================

Other stuff: DC has recruited actor Danny DeVito (The Penguin in "Batman Returns") as the latest to dip into the waters of comics writing. DeVito is doing a Penguin-centric story for a villains anthology due in November. DeVito follows Natalie Maines (Supergirl) and Camrus Johnson (Batwoman) to DC.

Dynamite's latest licensing acquisition is Sheena, Queen of The Jungle, who debuts in November. Mind you, this is the pre-Gena Lee Nolin iteration, so that means no shape-changing. Hey, old school works if done right. 

On The Shelf: More Free Comic Book Day Summer ruminations

Yesterday, ye scribe picked up a few more Free Comic Book Summer entries, just to have something to read besides what's on the pull list at the local shop.

But before we get there, let's take a look at a recent inter-company cross-over that dares to test our imaginations.

A couple of years back, DC & Boom! Studios joined forces to posit a tale in which Green Lantern ended up on the Planet of The Apes, which Boom! had the license to. A trade paperback that was due last week is running late at the hometown shop due to complications, so I needed to fill the void. I wish I hadn't.

With all of Geoff Johns' updates to the Green Lantern cosmic mythos, adding Red & Blue Lanterns, along with Yellow Lanterns in support of Sinestro, in recent years, this took away what would've been an acceptable adaptation of Pierre Boule's original novel, adapted by Rod Serling for the big screen in 1968. Instead, with more supporting characters from DC than needed, the story is just too busy.

In short, this ain't the story your parents would've read had DC teamed with a former license holder, Marvel, back in the 70's, when this would've been perfect.

Rating: C.
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Now, let's look at some FCBS 2020 entries.

Fantagraphics shares the license on Disney legends such as Donald Duck, and one of the stories in this 1-off introduces a new cousin of Donald's, Fethry (yep, that's how it's spelled). It's an inducement, of course, to buy one of Fantagraphics' overpriced reprint albums that includes material from overseas. Fethry hasn't appeared on screen here in the US yet, but will he? Who knows?

Rating: B--.
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Papercutz has the license for Nickelodeon's The Loud House and The Casagrandes. Your kids will dig, but that may be about it. The designs remind me of The Fairly OddParents, which might not be so bad, depending on how you look at it.

Rating: B-.
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John Patrick Green took the idea of private investigators and came up with a delightfully silly comedy series about two crime solving alligators. Investi-Gators should get some attention from the kiddo's, as long as they can find the books.

Rating: A.
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Robert Kirkman's Invincible has been around for a while at Image, and with the series being adapted for Amazon Prime, Image decided to reprint the first issue this year. Kirkman, also the creator of The Walking Dead, has a good idea about how to write a superhero drama, especially involving teenagers. I think this is not the first time this has been reprinted for FCBD, though.

Rating: B.
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Sci-fi icon J. Michael Straczynski returns to comics, joined this time by Mike Deodato, Jr. and his staff at AWA-Upshot with The Resistance, which sounds like something he might've had in mind for television. Deodato can be up & down, but this is fine work.

Rating: A.
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Eric Powell, creator of The Goon, returns with Hillbilly: The Lizard of Rusty Creek Cave for upstart Albatross Comics. Rural horror may never look the same again.

Rating: A-.
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While fans are waiting for his much anticipated Batman-Catwoman maxi-series to hit stores, writer Tom King will serve up a tale of the Watchmen's Rorshach, starting in October. By then, his Strange Adventures will have passed the halfway point. Personally, I'd rather see someone take a chance on a long dormant series from the 60's & 70's, The War That Time Forgot, which was last seen in Weird War Tales (1st series) in the 80's. Yes, it takes its cues from Burroughs, and goes from there. It wouldn't hurt.

On The Shelf: Celebrating Free Comic Book Summer 2020

Since the traditional Free Comic Book Day was postponed back in May due to coronavirus, it was decided to, well, spread the wealth, with many books released over the last few weeks.

Papercutz has brought the French comic strip legend Asterix to the US, acquiring the rights to reprint classic collections of the original stories. Ya might say Asterix, because of his diminuitive size, would be France's answer to, say for example, Popeye, but without spinach. It's not the first time an American publisher has tried to introduce Asterix to American audiences, but I don't think the kiddo's would be interested.

Rating: B.
========================


Garth Ennis' The Boys transitioned to television last year, airing on Amazon Prime. After a short-lived run at Wildstorm/DC, Ennis moved his creation to Dynamite Entertainment. They're violent, vulgar (an Ennis specialty), and brutal. Imagine if European football hooligans gained super powers. Therein lies the basic idea for this covert operations team.

Rating: B--.
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Discovery Family may have cancelled My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, but IDW is forging ahead with "season 10" in comics form. Your daughters---and maybe sons, too---will love it.

Rating: A-.
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While Boom! Studios is finishing off at least a couple of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series, a story arc involving an alternate universe and the introduction of a "Ranger Slayer" kicks off in a preview issue. Good only for true Ranger fans.

Rating: B--.
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Cullen Bunn's latest for Aftershock Comics is Dark Ark, which posits itself around the time of Noah in the Biblical Old Testament. Not this writer's cup of tea.

Rating: C.
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Dark Horse continues to mine Netflix's Stranger Things for comics, and there's also a story involving the popular Minecraft game as the back-up feature in this volume. You'd have to be a fan of Stranger Things to properly appreciate this book.

Rating: B.
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Marvel's X-Men entry is a prelude to the X of Swords event that debuts in September. Not advertised on the cover is a back-up feature that sets up a forthcoming Iron Man arc. Neither really is of interest to this writer, but fans of both franchises will pick this up.

Rating: B.
==========================================
Meanwhile, as Batman & Catwoman have been an on-again, off-again pairing in the pages of DC Comics, Marvel's answer has been to pair their Catwoman knock-off, the Black Cat, with Spider-Man (Peter Parker), but their shared history is only half as long as the Bat & the Cat. Unfortunately, Black Cat's book is being put on hiatus by Marvel, only to return for a fall event that co-stars Venom, who occupies the back-up feature in this book to set up said event, King in Black. If you've been reading Venom, you know what I'm referring to. Apparently, Peter's in an open relationship with both Mary Jane Watson (they're married in the newspaper strip) and Felicia "Black Cat" Hardy. So 21st century.

Rating: B-.
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Archie has revived its Blue Ribbon label for this year's Free Comic Book Summer, showcasing the comics version of Riverdale and that's the back-up feature behind a Betty & Veronica story by Jamie Lee Rotante & Brittney Williams that serves as a prelude to a forthcoming graphic novel. Similarly, Micol Ostow & Thomas Pitilli's "The Ties That Bind" sets up a graphic novel of the same name, due supposedly in October. Pitilli's artwork is great, capturing the tone of the dark, alternate universe Riverdale exists in. Betty & Veronica is aimed at a younger target audience.

Rating: A.
===========================================
Now, let's step back in time with Archie and his friends, shall we?



In 1988, writer Rich Margopoulos came over from Warren to develop the Explorers of The Unknown!, originally envisioned as a parody of DC's Challengers of The Unknown, but after appearances in a pair of Archie Giant Series issues, one each in 1988 and '89, the publisher spun the Explorers off into a 6 issue, bi-monthly miniseries, back when you could count on the books coming out on time. All 8 stories by Margopoulos & Rex Lindsey are collected in a nice little trade paperback that's barely bigger than what passes for "digests" at Archie these days. When your roster is double the size of the Challengers, it should stand on its own merits, shouldn't it? The miniseries was reprinted recently in digests, leading to this trade paperback release. If management had any sense, they could've brought the Explorers back sooner.

Rating: A-.

On The Shelf: Free Comic Book Day 2019, and other stuff

Free Comic Book Day has come & gone, so let's take a look at some of the bounty from this year's event:

The last time anyone had heard about Marjorie Buell's legendary Little Lulu, it was when Lulu was adapted for television, on HBO of all places, several years ago, with Tracey Ullman attached to the project.

Today, Drawn & Quarterly, an independent publisher, has acquired the rights to the original Buell stories drawn by John Stanley. I remember reading some Little Lulu when I was a little fella who'd buy anything--DC, Marvel, Gold Key, Harvey, Archie, Charlton--at the newsstand. Subtitled, "The World's Best Comic Book", this volume collects some choice reprints from early in the run at Dell. The issues I had nearly 50 years ago were from Gold Key, and likely were reprints themselves.

It's a nice introduction for a new generation of readers. However, D & Q will likely stick with trade paperback format releases going forward.

Rating: A.
==============================
DC introduces their DC Zoom line with a sampler from the forthcoming graphic novel, Dear Justice League, due out in August. DC Zoom is aimed at elementary school kids, and the fan letters certainly fit the demographic stereotype. Parents, I'd invest when this comes out.

Rating: A.
===============================
American Mythology Press, the current home to cartoon icons Underdog & Pink Panther, has added Casper to the roster. Casper's Spooksville premiered last month, and award winning artist Eric Shanower, better known for his adaptations of the Wizard of Oz books for Dark Horse, has adapted his style to replicate the works of artists who came before him, such as Warren Kremer and Ernie Colon. The series also allows Hot Stuff, the "little devil", to interact with Casper and his bewitching bestie, Wendy, something that I don't think ever happened at Harvey. They went to the body switching gimmick in the second story, which allows for something else we'd never seen at Harvey, this involving Casper & Wendy. You'll see what I mean.

Rating: A+.
================================
After what seemed like forever at Dark Horse, the licenses for Buffy, The Vampire Slayer & Angel have moved over to Boom! Studios. Their entry offers a sample of what's to come in Buffy's book, as well as another Joss Whedon creation, Firefly, which Boom! also acquired, and are pushing to the moon. Fans of both series will love this.

Rating: B.
================================
Canada's Captain Canuck makes his annual appearance, but, copying what Marvel has done with Captain America, there's a new guy in the suit. Chapterhouse isn't getting as much attention with this franchise as they should, and there is a sense of been there, seen that.

Rating: B-.
================================
It's also an annual tradition at Titan Books to preview a forthcoming story arc for Doctor Who. If you faithfully follow the franchise, which has been around since 1963, they're on the 13th incarnation of The Doctor, this one a female. This is good stuff. In this entry, the Doctor visits a carnival that isn't what it seems. Standard fare.

Rating: A-.
=================================
Marvel's Avengers entry is two previews in one, the main title and the new Savage Avengers, which was the excuse to bring Conan the Barbarian to the 21st century, just so Marvel can over-milk Conan like they do their own properties. Not impressed.

Rating for both: B--.
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Marvel, you know, is not alone in holding a license for "Star Wars". Idea & Design Works (IDW) has the other license, and continues with Star Wars Adventures as a kid friendly entry level book. Derek Charm comes over from Archie Comics (he had been on Jughead before that series was inexplicably cancelled), and helps spin a yarn from Han Solo's earlier days.

Rating: B+.
=====================================
IDW is also home to the comic book version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which marks its 35th anniversary this year, as IDW itself turns 20. Standard fare, co-written by co-creator Kevin Eastman, and the artwork reflects the original concept behind the series.

Rating: B.
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Marvel can be accused of a bait & switch with their Spider-Man entry.

While Venom gets the lead feature to promote the forthcoming reboot of "Maximum Carnage" as an event this year, Peter Parker & Miles Morales square off over.........pizza. And you expected a clash between two heroes? How cliched! How fun!

Rating: A.
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Dark Horse is home to an adaptation of Netflix's popular Stranger Things. If you don't follow the show, you probably won't get the story. The backup feature is Jeff Lemire's Black Hammer, as Dark Horse is continuing to build a new superhero universe, and this is a little better than the lead feature.

Rating: B+.
========================================
As Riverdale wraps its 3rd season on CW on May 15, Archie Comics begins a Season 3 adaptation in the comics. If they could get away from some of the creepier elements of the TV show, they'd be fine.

Like, we get it. Jughead and Betty have been repackaged as a couple, since the show's writers don't want to deal with the eternal triangle between Betty, Archie, & Veronica. The latter are a couple on TV. If it wasn't for the soap opera aspects of the show, I'd be more into Jug as a detective. There's a lot of potential that's being explored in the current Archie book as well.

Rating: B.
===========================================
While The Tick's creator, Ben Edlund, has been in Hollywood for a while, his superhero parody is in the hands of writer-artist Ian Nichols, who doesn't quite have the knack for satire. Amazon's adaptation of the series has been renewed for a 2nd season, which is more than Fox did for Tick.

Rating: B--.
============================================
Dynamite has the license for Vampirella, who begins a new solo series, while also being paired with Red Sonja in a mniseries crossover with Archie Comics' Betty & Veronica. Christopher Priest will script the new Vampi solo book, but for once, I fear that Priest, a veteran writer with over 40 years experience (he started at Marvel as Jim Owsley), may have finally laid an egg.

Happily, a 1993 reprint from Harris Comics, written by Kurt Busiek, has Vampi and her mentor, Pendragon, dealing with some strange bugs, and the predictable hysteria of a small town. Plus, Busiek opted to let Vampi talk in her bat form, something she hadn't done at Warren, and I'm not sure about more recent stories.

You do know that Archie's parodying Vampi with Vampironica, right?

Rating: B.
============================================
DC's big summer event is called "Year of The Villain". I'm not impressed. A new character is introduced by DC, but this time, it's not a requirement to buy every issue tied into this event. Thank God! At least they now know better.

DC also has something called Event Leviathan, which is a 6 issue miniseries, debuting this summer, and is also being previewed. That could be even better. I am not, however, so sold on the Batman Who Laughs, an alternate universe mashup of Batman & The Joker. Check your brain cells at the door anytime you see this guy.

Year of The Villain merits a B.
=============================================
After all the hype surrounding writer Tom Taylor's latest opus, DCeased, ye scribe comes away from issue 1 unimpressed.

In the last decade, we have seen zombie apocalypse stories from Marvel, DC, Image (The Walking Dead is still going strong), and Archie. Zombies have been popular for a while, but, while CW's iZombie is in its final season, just started, Walking Dead shows no signs of slowing down, but there's no rush, it appears, for another show about zombies. SyFy's Z Nation was cancelled not too long ago.

The fact that the modern era creators depict zombies as being a little bit faster afoot in some cases, contrary to the legendary George Romero movies of days gone by might have something to do with the interest in zombie apocalypse. iZombie is the exception, since it's a supernatural crime drama, fronted by the cutest, hottest zombie around, Liv Moore (Rose McIver). Since Afterlife With Archie is locked in turnaround while series creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa shuttles back & forth between Hollywood & Vancouver (where Riverdale & Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and virtually everything else produced by Greg Berlanti, are filmed), why not develop a new, standalone zombie book at Archie that doesn't require Aguirre-Sacasa? Just sayin'.

Meanwhile, DCeased reminds us again of how modern creators have had some sort of issue with Jack Kirby's Fourth World characters. DeSaad, for example, doesn't look human anymore. Instead, it seems some idiot at DC decided to put the Apokoliptian scientist's mind in the body of a Dominator. He doesn't need all those teeth. Kirby envisioned DeSaad as if he'd been modeled after the late comedian-actor Marty Feldman, who was a big star in the 60's & 70's. So not digging. I thought this was going to be something special. It isn't.

Rating: C-.
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WWE's Rusev (real name: Miroslav Barnyashev) and his wife, Lana (Catherine "CJ" Perry, "Pitch Perfect"), are shopping around a comics project entitled, Dark Country, with veteran writer Jason Starr attached. They're looking for an artist to work on the project. In a recent interview with Newsarama, Lana revealed she in particular is a fan of the Punisher. Who isn't? They'll find a landing spot soon enough for the book, but I've a feeling Boom! Studios, which has the license for WWE comics, could be in the running.
============================================
Mark Russell & Richard Pace's superhero/religious satire, Second Coming, has found a home at Ahoy Comics, with the first issue out in July. In a recent interview, Russell acknowledged that while it was meant to be ongoing, as it'd been solicited at Vertigo/DC before moral zealots got in the way, they'll go with a 4 part miniseries to start. Good idea to take the temperature of the readers before going full bore.

A little bit of this and a little of that

The first pre-winter snowstorm brings with it concerns about NY state football playoffs scheduled for tonight and tomorrow in Middletown, outside of Poughkeepsie.

Section II Class A champion Burnt Hills, coming off a bye week, is set to play tonight vs. Cornwall. Figuring classes will have been cancelled for today due to the weather, coach Matt Shell should have his team on the road after the storm ends around 1 pm (ET) this afternoon for an 8:05 kickoff. You have to figure, too, that Middletown also got hit, and crews there will be working to get the field ready, as best as able, for tonight's game.

Burnt Hills hasn't gotten past the state semi-finals the last two years, and the adverse conditions may not help. Just sayin'. Saturday's card sees Class B champ Glens Falls vs. Marlboro, and AA champ Shaker facing New Rochelle. The Long Island representative should be thankful they're playing someone other than Troy this year.
========================================
The Pittsburgh Steelers sit atop the AFC North, and they'll continue to play without star running back Le'Veon Bell, who's held out all season looking for----what else?----more money. I tell you, pro players are never satisfied. It's an ego thing, more than a greed thing. Once you become a big star, you're always going to want to be paid more than the rest of the players at your position. The agents might be greedy, but the players, enabled by the leeches and hangers-on that surround them, get their egos puffed up, and blown out of proportion. It happens.

The problem is, Bell didn't like the idea of the franchise tag being placed on him. Who does, anyway? I look for Bell to be back in the league next year, wearing someone else's colors.
=========================================
The rest of Major League Baseball's post-season awards have been handed out. Some are surprises, others aren't. Consider:

Manager of the Year:

AL: Bob Melvin (Oakland) won his 3rd trophy, second with the A's. People in Boston are complaining that Alex Cora, who led Boston to 108 wins in the regular season, en route to the Red Sox's 4th World Series title in 15 years, should've wrapped it up before the playoffs began, especially considering he's a first year manager. Who can figure sportswriters, anyway?

NL: Atlanta's Brian Snitker was rewarded for the Braves' return to the top of the NL East, outpointing Milwaukee's Craig Counsell.

Cy Young Award:

AL: Tampa Bay left-hander Blake Snell pulled the upset, as most folks figured Cleveland's Corey Kluber and Boston's Rick Porcello could've been getting more hardware.

NL: Jacob deGrom (Mets), despite 10 wins, posted a 1.70 ERA. He cuts the hair, then goes out and carries the Mets to, well, respectability after a mid-season collapse.

Most Valuable Player:

This might as well have been make-good day for Boston & Milwaukee. Why? Scope it out.

NL: Christian Yelich was in Giancarlo Stanton's shadow in Miami. Then, the Marlins' new management team splits them up, along with Marcell Ozuna (St. Louis). Yelich went to Milwaukee, and flipped the switch in the second half. Stanton was nowhere near close to winning in the AL with the Yankees, because......

AL: Mookie Betts (Boston) was a runaway winner. Don't know where Stanton finished, but there's always next year.

Oh, by the way, deGrom finished 5th in the NL voting, taking the only first place vote that didn't go to Yelich.
======================================
Spectrum Cable's mobile service launched a new ad campaign a couple of months back. Emmy award winning actress-talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is the narrator for these spots, including this one.....

Sounds like Ellen was rehearsing reviving her stand-up act, don't ya think?

On The Shelf: DC warps out the Justice League, more freebies, and other stuff

First, the bad news.

If you've been a faithful DC Comics reader, you might want to sit down.

DC has been gradually raising prices on some of their core titles, even trimming them from bi-weekly to monthly. Come August, the only books priced under $4 will be newer series such as Sideways, The Silencer, The Terrifics, and Curse of Brimstone, and TV-centric books like Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo Team-Up, & Teen Titans Go!. Everything else will be $4.

One theory I have is that the increase is to help pay for writer Brian Michael Bendis' megabucks contract with DC. Talent like that doesn't come cheap. Bendis gets paid, and we're helping pay him. Kind of like as taxpayers we're keeping a man-child in the White House. Speaking of whom.........
==========================
Yes, President Trump makes an appearance in a new Captain Canuck book. Invasion was previewed for Free Comic Book Day, and it seems the writers bought into the perception of Trump as a blustery xenophobe. Whooopeeeeee! Trump may actually keep people away from this book if it's more than just a 1 panel cameo.

Rating: B.

Fox's Bob's Burgers rolls along at Dynamite, but unless you follow the show regularly (I don't), you might not get some of the humor. It's not as good as last year's offering. (B-).

Dark Horse has the rights to Nickelodeon's Legend of Korra, which, as I forgot to note last year, is a spin-off from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Delightful fun. (A)

Dark Horse also has something called Overwatch, based, I think, on a video game. The Quantum League backup feature spins out of Jeff Lemire's Black Hammer, and is a left-handed nod to DC's Legion of Super Heroes. This might be worth checking into. (A)

Ben Edlund's superhero satire, The Tick, returns, with no ties to the revival of the live-action series airing on Amazon Prime. Tick is as goofy as ever, even if Edlund isn't drawing him anymore. Edlund's been kind of busy with other projects lately in Hollywood. Without the master's touch, Tick doesn't tickle my funny bone as much. (B-)

Titan Books' annual Doctor Who offering collects three Doctors (#'s 7, 10, & 11), leading to some "event" coming soon. Meh, whatever. (B)

Titan is also the current home of Jamie Hewlett's pride & joy, Tank Girl. Hewlett does the cover for this 1-off, not much else, and, thus, the book loses some of its charm. She just hasn't aged well. (C)

Saban recently sold the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to Hasbro, but a brand new FCBD book recaps the early days of the Rangers, leading to "Shattered Grid", from Boom! Studios. If you're a Ranger fan from way back, you'll want this. (B)

An indie publisher, Sideburns, offers a preview of some forthcoming works, including one written by actor Patton Oswalt (AP Bio, Justice League Action, ex-The King of Queens). Hit & miss. (B-)
=================================
DC is cancelling their Young Animal line of books, curated by musician Gerard Way, in August. Way and the DC crew are promising that Doom Patrol, plagued by interminable delays of unknown origin, will return at a later date. Paging Grant Morrison! DC is also dumping Batwoman, also in August. If you've been following what has been going on over in Detective Comics, you might have some clue as to how this series is going to end.
===================================
I've noted before how Archie Comics has confined old school Archie stories to digest titles you can find only at Walmart, Rite Aid, etc., but now comes a new Betty & Veronica book, priced comfortably at $2.99. Friends Forever: At The Movies is a collection of 4 short stories involving our girls either going to the theatre or being on movie sets. The usual hijinks result, of course, courtesy of Bill Golliher & Dan Parent. Since it's not advertised as "all new", assume, then, that these are reprints.

Rating: A-.
====================================
DC is rebooting the Justice League yet again (when will they learn to stop rebooting to #1 every couple of of years?), this time starting with a weekly miniseries, No Justice, that also involves elements of the Suicide Squad & Teen Titans. I'm sorry, but I just don't buy the idea of Damian Wayne, the current Robin, and Bruce Wayne's illegitimate son (by Talia Al Ghul), as a member of the League any time soon. Too much of a brat. James Tynion IV, Scott Snyder, & Josh Williamson are the writers entrusted with trying to sell the idea of not only Lex Luthor as a hero, but also---are you sitting down---Starro the Conqueror, one of the League's oldest enemies if you go all the way back through their history.

Full rating after the series is completed.
=====================================
Finally, remember these guys?



Last fall, DC entrusted British writer Garth Ennis with, ah, reinventing Dastardly & Muttley. Ennis throws in as many inside gags as possible, and over the course of the six issues, collected in a new trade paperback, we see that in this context, Muttley was a human whose DNA was merged with his pet pooch, whom Dick initially despised. In the story, Dastardly's given name is Richard Ratcherly, and he's a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Air Force. A strange mutagen not only affects the future Muttley, but Dick as well, as he slowly begins to morph into his familiar persona. Meanwhile other folks are turned into animals, including the vice president, which leads to a reference to a movie of recent vintage (I won't tell you what it is, you'll have to figure it out for yourself, as Sam Wilson would suggest over at Think 3 Institute). Yes, Ennis can do comedy, and, like Grant Morrison, has an appreciation for the 60's.

Rating: A.

More stories about Free Comic Book Day '18

Time to dive back into the pile.

Marvel is giving readers first looks at reboots of Amazing Spider-Man & The Avengers. I've said this before. Why keep going back to #1, when the numbering, after the math, makes more sense, especially after these books recently hit some milestones, like issue 700? Because Marvel's beancounters---and this applies to DC, too----still think a 1st issue sells better than a regular issue. However, if you keep rebooting to #1 every 2-3 years or so, that novelty will be no more.

I really cannot get invested in these books myself, but I can recommend them.

Rating for both: A.

Meanwhile, a mini-series comprised strictly of 1-shots under the title, Marvel Rising, showcases some of the company's younger heroines, particularly the current Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, who can stretch her limbs, a la Reed Richards, something that the previous Ms. Marvels, including the original, Carol Danvers, couldn't do. More on Carol shortly. Squirrel Girl, who was originally introduced as a throwaway character a few years ago, is one of the hottest stars Marvel has now, and her book, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, is mostly tongue-in-cheek camp comedy. To see her team with Ms. Marvel would be fun----as long as Marvel lowers the price. Greed rules this branch of the House of Mouse.

Rating: B.

In the run-up to "Avengers: Infinity War", Marvel released a series of 1-shot reprint volumes as part of the True Believers series, this time focusing on the film's central villain, Thanos. The reprints include Thanos' 1st appearance in Iron Man, all the way back in the 70's, as well as the first issues of Infinity Gauntlet & Infinity War. The coolest part about the reprint volumes is that they're all comfortably priced at a dollar each. Another reprint comes from Silver Surfer (2nd series) and artist Ron Lim.

The reprints all merit B's, except for..........

Marvel resorted to a little bit of a cheat with True Believers: Carol Danvers, which highlights her first appearance as a supporting character during the cosmic Captain Marvel's run in Marvel Super Heroes (1st series) 13, all the way back around 1968. She only appears briefly, a few panels at the max, as this is a chapter in the Mar-Vell saga that continued in his own book.

Rating: C-. That's for cheating the consumers.

Back to Free Comic Book Day, and over to DC. The latest DC Super Hero Girls graphic novel, "Date With Disaster", has nothing to do with any of the ladies getting a blind date. Instead, it's a cautionary tale after a sort, as Batgirl discovers that her father, Commissioner James Gordon, is trying to find a new love. Well, give them points for trying. Don't know if this actually will work with the target demographic.

Rating: B-.
======================================
I soured on Riverdale right at the start, as I've documented when the series premiered nearly 18 months ago. As season 2 winds down, head writer/co-executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa proved yet again how out of touch he is with Archie Comics history.

In order to sell the show, he had to break up the parents of many of the teens. For example, Archie Andrews' parents are separated, as Mary (Molly Ringwald) has only made a few appearances. Ditto for Betty Cooper's folks. Worse, Betty's father, Hal (Lochlyn Munro) was outed as the villainized Black Hood in last night's episode. On the show, the Hood is a serial killer tasked with eliminating "sinners". A religious nut, he ain't.

Earlier this season, they swerved the audience, or at least tried to, by suggesting that Mr. Svenson, not the old janitor from the books, was the Hood. Svenson was killed off, largely because Aguirre-Sacasa doesn't know what to do with a lot of the supporting characters. However, a lot of viewers had to know this was just what it was presented as, a red herring, a stall tactic by the writers while they tried to decide who was the Hood after all.

I'm sorry, but as a long time comics fan, I have to disagree with the portrayal of the Hood. Period.

The Black Hood has been around since the Golden Age, and was MLJ/Archie's answer to Lee Falk's famous comic strip hero, The Phantom. Both heroes had a generational lineage dating back centuries. Archie's Dark Circle line ended the generational angle for the Hood three years ago by killing off Kip Burland, who'd had the costume since the 70's, in favor of disgraced cop Greg Hettinger.

Instead of using Hettinger, a character created on his watch, Aguirre-Sacasa got lazy and decided that, for the second season in a row, a parent of one of the kids was the villain du jour. However, there is a 2nd man loose in Riverdale with a Black Hood, so maybe Hal Cooper isn't the main villain after all. Signs point to Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos), posited here as a JR Ewing-style manipulator, being behind a second Hood to help wife Hermoine become mayor. Lodge has been used like this in the books, too, occasionally, mostly ever since Aguirre-Sacasa came aboard as creative director.

Apparently, a sure sign that he had Hal Cooper in mind came when Betty (Lili Reinhart) was summoned to an abandoned shack one night, and.......



Now, I'll grant you this. Betty does look fetching, even if she is a little scared, wearing a mask.

It'll be a long time, I'd gather, before the Black Hood appears in any of the company's imprints again, just to let the stench of this story arc fade away. Now, having Betty try to restore the legacy of the Hood by becoming a masked vigilante down the road might not be so bad........!

On The Shelf: Ruminating on Free Comic Book Day '17 and other things

By the time Free Comic Book Day ended on Saturday, I had stopped at 2 stores and a library, and came away with a nice haul for the day. Let's take a look:

Idea & Design Works (IDW), perhaps inevitably, is setting up a Star Trek: The Next Generation line, launching with an adaptation of a classic Star Trek episode, "Mirror, Mirror". The original episode had been previously adapted for comics a number of years back, during Marvel's 2nd go-round with the franchise. This time, it is Capt. Jean-Luc Picard's Enterprise in the mirror universe. Lush, realistic artwork, which suggests an Alex Ross influence. Definitely for fans of the Trek franchise. Also previews other Trek projects from IDW.

Rating: A+.

IDW also offered up a preview of a forthcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arc. I don't follow the series, so we'll pass on a rating, though I can tell that the art seems to be close to a homage to co-creator Peter Laird.
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Scholastic has gotten into the comics business, but Time Shifters, while it might entertain the target audience, looks a little out of focus. Parents may need to take the time to discuss with the kiddo's.

Rating: C.

ABC's hit series, Fresh Off The Boat, has transitioned to comics, as the family gets into the hero business, with chaotic results. The artwork isn't great, though the story will resonate with families.

Rating: B-.

American Mythology may just give Dynamite, IDW, and other license-centered indies a run for their money.

The company started off with obtaining the rights to The Three Stooges in 2015, then added The Pink Panther last year. This year brings no less than Total Television's canine crimestopper, Underdog, whose previous ports of call in comics have included Charlton & Gold Key.

AM's preview issue introduces a new villain to Underdog's rogues gallery in Phoney Baloney. The plot, though, recalls the episode, "The Phoney Booths", but with the newbie replacing Simon Bar Sinister as the villain of the piece. Good way to reintroduce Underdog and friends to a new generation. Watch for references to other TTV properties, including Tennessee Tuxedo, hinting that AM may also make a run at the other TTV series. AM also has acquired Rocky & Bullwinkle, which will debut later this year.

Rating for Underdog: A.
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Titan Books has gained a license for Mattel's Monster High line of figures for young ladies. Looks like a lot of fun, even for the boys in the audience. If the writers of Rick Moranis at Gravedale High had this kind of imagination 17 years ago, that series might've gotten more than 1 season.

Rating: B+.

Titan also is previewing a forthcoming Doctor Who arc, but as with the Turtles, there won't be a rating, as I don't follow the series.
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DC previews the next DC Super Hero Girls graphic novel, "Summer Olympus", continuing the change in Wonder Woman continuity that has the Amazing Amazon as the daughter of Zeus AND Hippolyta, rather than having been formed out of clay. Bumblebee, currently appearing in Teen Titans, has been repackaged as more of a clone of Marvel's Wasp with her size changing powers. Bear in mind that the graphic novel will retail for $10. but will keep the young ladies entertained until the start of next school year, along with Monster High.

Rating: A.

One local shop was giving away copies of the 1st issue of the current twice-monthly Wonder Woman, with the store logo imprinted on the cover. Writer Greg Rucka makes a triumphant return to DC, but rebooting Diana as, well, bi-sexual at best, may be just for the sake of addressing the growing LGBT audience. I can't really say for sure. For what it's worth, I think the reason they made Zeus Diana's biological dad was to go right along with the similar rebooting of Cassie "Wonder Girl" Sandsmark a few years ago.

To all that, I say, meh.

Rating: B.
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We talked last week about Marvel's Secret Empire miniseries event. Flipping through the FCBD special, I see no reason to change my opinion on it at all. All this does is build toward the inevitable climax of the Captain America, Agent of Hydra arc that began a year ago, and has made Nick Spencer one of the most polarizing figures in comics today. This is an idea that should never have left the former "House of Ideas".

Rating: C--.

Meanwhile, Marvel has also hit the reset button with All-New Guardians of the Galaxy, although with the Marvel Legacy project rumored for later this year, the beancounters will have to do the math to figure out how many Guardians issues have been published since the 90's.

Anyway, in keeping in line with the current movie, Groot is now little more than a youth, although growing back to adult should happen before the year is over. Star-Lord has blond hair and a beard, which will confuse folks who have not been buying the books and have only seen the movies. Again, I say, meh.

Rating: B-.

The backup features, though, in each of the above books offer more promise.

41 years after the original series launched, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man, returns. I get that Marvel wants to pimp out the webhead with the new movie coming up, and the kid-friendly Spidey was a victim of poor sales last year, so this is your replacement. Given a choice, I'd rather read the ongoing Renew Your Vows book.

Rating: B.

With a Netflix series coming in August, The Defenders gets dusted off, but the big diff between this book and the upcoming show is that Luke Cage & Jessica Jones are husband & wife, and have been for a while now. That would make Willis "Diamondback" Stryker Jessica's, ah, 1/2-brother-in-law, and he ain't kind to anyone associated with Luke, as we'll see in the first arc. The Judas bullets used on Luke in his Netflix series come into play in the preview. Uh-oh. I'm sold.

Rating: A.
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For all I've written & said about Riverdale, which wraps its freshman season tonight, Archie Comics' 1-shot prequel, released in the winter, offered some backstory leading into the series, which bowed in January. The current monthly debuted last month, but I can't recommend it, despite some nice artwork. Dark? Subversive? Check & check. Archie purists will hate it for sure. And I don't think writer/creative director Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has done due diligence to address the issues thus far ignored, including the off-air death of iconic teacher Geraldine Grundy, whose ID was co-opted by a 30-something music teacher in the show. Said identity thief pulled a vanishing act within a month.

Rating: C--.
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CW has added a 6th Greg Berlanti entry, as Black Lightning has been picked up for likely a January launch. The question is what night will it air? Cress Williams top-lines as 40-something retired hero Jeff Pierce, who is now a high school principal, which wasn't his original vocation (he was a teacher) when Tony Isabella & Trevor Von Eeden introduced Pierce some 40 years ago. Cue the inevitable Black Lightning: Rebirth from DC, preferably written by the inestimable Mr. Isabella, whose Bloggy Thing is a must-read.

Fox has finally gotten around to renewing Gotham for a 4th season. Lucifer will return for a 3rd season, but they'll now be joined by The Gifted, a X-Men series that Fox will introduce next season. Cable cousin FXX has picked up an animated Deadpool series for 2018, with plans to couple Deadpool with Archer. More details when they become available.

On the Shelf: Reviewing Free Comic Book Day, part 3

As was the case last time, this was the result of collecting "remainders" from Free Comic Book Day one week ago. Let's scope:

Arcana is home to Stan Lee's newest creations, The Unknowns, which co-writer Chris Wyatt has described, according to Arcana, as a cross between Men in Black and Ben 10, but let's factor in that the multi-racial alien group that comes into play could be derivative of the Starjammers from Marvel's X-Men franchise. The Unknowns, boasting some nice art from Alan Otero, takes a backseat, literally, as the backup feature to Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom, a graphic novel excerpt that purports to imagine the childhood, or a facsimile thereof, of noted author H. P. Lovecraft. Maurice Sendak would be proud. The trick is getting kids to read and be enlightened as well as entertained.

Rating: B.

Sticking with stuff for the kiddo's, Nobrow crams three features into their entry. Hilda leads off, and it looks like a homage to the Golden Age with more panels per page than normal. Akissi is an inner-city comedy adventure that the late Morrie Turner (Wee Pals) would be proud of. Sam Bosma's manga-inspired Fantasy Sports closes the volume, as the last page is the inside back cover. Very old school in approach. Unfortunately, I doubt I'll see anything further of any of these, as local dealers don't order a lot of the smaller indies.

Rating: A.

Action Lab checks in with Susan Beneville's Awake, which looks mighty impressive. Again, you're going to have to order copies by way of Diamond Distributors' monthly Previews catalog (next issue out May 25) to get your local shop to get you a copy. Oni Press offers up Junior Braves of the Apocalypse, described by Horrortalk as "....The Walking Dead for kids!". Yes, there are zombies. Unfortunately, with all the attention given to a certain DC comic book coming at the end of the month, folks may forget Junior Braves, and shouldn't.

Both Junior Braves & Awake merit an A.

Z2's Comics Lab anthology volume showcases six diverse and distinct features, again appealing to all ages. All that can be said here is that there's something for everyone. Boom! Studios' 2016 Summer Blast includes a short story featuring Finn & Jake from Cartoon Network's Adventure Time. However, the artwork loses something in transitioning the characters from the screen to the printed page. The monthly book is doing well, though, so they're getting somewhere, though that might be because CN plays Adventure Time into the ground. Mouse Guard's been around a while, and reminds me of the late Brian Jacques' Redwall books, which were later adapted into a cartoon for PBS. The volume also includes an entry based on Jim Henson's Labyrinth, the popular Lumberjanes, and the debut of Boom!'s newest star in the making, Goldie Vance, who can be best described as a cross between Penny Proud (Disney's Proud Family) and Nancy Drew (yes, Goldie's an African-American detective).

Comics Lab gets an A-.

Boom!'s Summer Blast breaks down thus:

Adventure Time: C.
Labyrinth: B.
The Cloud: B-.
Goldie Vance, Lumberjanes, & Mouse Guard: A.
Overall rating: B.

Black Mask pairs up entries from two entities, Young Terrorists & We Can Never Go Home, aimed at teens & young adults. They look like a couple of projects that were rejected by Vertigo for some reason.

Rating: B--.

Space Goat offers Dark Lily & Friends, the "friends" being Monster Elementary, Mage, Inc., & Rocket Queen & The Wrench. The latter pair are the better entries, but there's some charm to Monster Elementary, too. Just can't get into Dark Lily. Too derivative of other concepts.

Rating: B.

Devil's Due-First welcomed back Mike Baron's Badger, but instead of bringing back original artist Jeff Butler, Baron recruited artist Val Mayerik, who's been around since the 70's. Badger is placed in the ring with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Vince McMahon won't like the outcome, considering one of his heels is supposed to be from Russia..! Squarriors and Mercy Sparx deserve some love.

Rating: B.