Review- Free Comic Book Day Offerings Part Five

Free Comic Book Day Offerings Part Five

Free Comic Book Day: The Stuff Of Legend (Th3rdworld Studios, cover date 2016)

I have always found this concept to be interesting and have wanted to read more, but time and money haven't allowed me to do so. Fortunately for me my son has shown me the joy of checking out books from the library. I have checked out the first volume in the series and am looking forward to reading it.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

Mix Tape 2016 (Devil's Due/ First Comics, cover date 2016)

Like the title states, this is a sampler of different titles. Mercy Sparx and Badger are both readable yet not very memorable. Squarriors is fascinating, though. Beautifully drawn, cleverly written, it is something that is worth a second look. How To Dragon Your Train is amusing and well done.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5.

FCBD: March (Top Shelf, cover date, 2016)

I have heard much buzz about this comic, which is the story of the Civil Rights movement. It is a powerful story presented in black and white. Comic books are every bit as legitimate an art form as music, literature, and the cinema. Like those artforms, comics are capable of being anything under the sun. March uses the strengths of this unique medium (pictures and words) to great effect and delivers a read that is as powerful as the real life message that inspired it. 

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.75 out of 5.

Free Comic Book Day: The Phantom (Hermes Press, cover date 2016)

This is a sampling of Jim Aparo's brilliant take on the character from 1970. Hermes' restoration is a bit off. They should either do full blown, frame up restoration or cleaned up raw scans. Their hybrid approach doesn't work for me. My OCD homeskillet Ferjo Byroy owns all of these Phantom Archives and strip books. Maybe someday I will borrow them from him.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Worlds Of Aspen 2016 #1 (Aspen Comics, cover date May, 2016)

This is slick and polished and enjoyable enough...just not enough for me to plunk down money and buy.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2.75 out of 5.

Assassin's Creed: Free Comic Book Day (Titan Comics, cover date May, 2016)

I know nothing about the video game, as I don't play video games. That aside, this is good stuff as a comic book. Everything works, the art is good, and the hook is strong. I have no idea how this relates to the game if at all, but as a comic book I liked it.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

Avatarex: Free Comic Book Day Special Preview (Graphic India, cover date 2016)

Grant Morrison is prolific, that's for sure. He bounces from stuff like Batman to creator owned stuff and everywhere in between. Avatarex reminds me of Atomika for some reason, only with more mainstream friendly artwork. The other story in this book is a preview of 18 Days, another heady, larger than life concept. Both of these concepts are interesting, but not interesting enough to get me to open my wallet.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.5 out of 5. 

Review- BRENDA STARR, REPORTER: THE COLLECTED DAILIES 1940-1946

BRENDA STARR, REPORTER: THE COLLECTED DAILIES 1940-1946 (Hermes Press, 2012; Hardcover)

Collects Brenda Starr, Reporter strips from June 30, 1940- April 20, 1941; September 10, 1944- January 14, 1945; and October 22, 1945- February 24, 1946

Writer and Artist: Dale Messick

Historically significant due to the fact that it was one of the first strips written and drawn by a woman, Brenda Starr, Reporter is also a fascinating read because it is the tale of a working woman from a time when many women could not get important jobs like newspaper reporters. Messick's writing and artwork has a certain charm to it but this was not the best strip of it's day by any stretch.

The story arcs are complete but the scattershot nature of the collection made this less enjoyable to me. I cannot enjoy books that are not complete runs. Factor in that one of these arcs was re-purposed and reprinted and can be found in Brenda Starr: The Complete Pre-Code Comic Books Vol. 1 and my disappointment mounted. I have decided to abandon this line of these books. Mary Perkins has ruined me for all other good girl newspaper strips. I ended up trading this with my friend for a Phantom strips book.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This book is presented in landscape format.

Linework and Color restoration: The restoration is odd, a mix of full blown color restoration and using raw scans, benday dots and all. It appears that certain colors are recolored as solids while other things are left as is. Off register printing is corrected some of the time. It is hit or miss but is not bad. One section of the book is shot off of the original art and is presented here in black and white, and it shows beyond the shadow of a doubt to naysayers who claim that artists intended their work to look as it eventually appeared on pulp paper in four color printing presses. So much detail was lost.

Paper stock: Semi-glossy coated stock.

Binding: Smyth sewn binding, lays completely flat.

Dustjacket and Hardback cover notes: Dustjacket has a thin coating but is easily scuffed. Casewrap has the same matte look and feel and can also be easily scuffed.

Review- FCBD Offerings Part 2

And Then Emily Was Gone #0: FCBD Special (Comix Tribe, cover date, 2015)

I went to 8 stores on Free Comic Book Day this year so that I could get as many different comics as possible. I was pleasantly surprised by And Then Emily Was Gone, as it has a weird overall tone, both in writing and artwork. The Oxymoron back-up story was also very enjoyable. Who knows, maybe I will pick up one of their books after all.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.5 out of 5.

2000 AD Free Comic Book Day Prog 2015 (2000 AD, cover date 2015)

A smorgasboard of past, present, and future 2000 AD properties, the one that stood out for me was Judge Dredd. Nothing else really grabbed me but everything was certainly readable. I was pleased to see the announcement that there will be a second Daily Dredds hardcover collecting more of the UK Judge Dredd strip.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5.

Free Comic Book Day: The Phantom (Hermes Press, cover date 2015)

Predating Superman and every other masked hero that you know of, “The Ghost That Who Walks” is one of those characters that I was interested in but not enough to buy a hardcover of blind. Enter this sampler from Hermes Press, reprinting several short stories from the middle era (1960s-1970s) of the character, including a story with artwork by the godlike Jim Aparo. I will try to resist hunting down this line of books, as several are out of print and expensive.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Terrible Lizard #1: Free Comic Book Day Edition (Oni Press, cover date May, 2015)

Huh. Well how about that? Cullen Bunn isn't the first name that springs to mind when thinking of light-hearted, fun, all-ages comics, but I'll be darned if this isn't a slick comic that I am not afraid to share with my kids. It's a story about a 14 year old girl whose father does some dimensional breach bit and brings back a dinosaur of some kind who bonds/imprints with the girl. Good stuff.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.75 out of 5.

Jurassic Strike Force 5 Free Comic Book Day One-Shot (Silver Dragon/ Zenescope, cover date May, 2015)

Hot on the heels of Terrible Lizard comes this offering from Zenescope's non-cheesecake all-ages imprint, Silver Dragon. This is a hybrid of a number of different concepts that isn't anything particularly fresh, nor is it particularly bad. It's readable enough although I don't think that I would pay for it. My 8 year old son enjoyed it quite a bit.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5.

Tales Of Honor Volume Two #0 (Top Cow/ Image, cover date May, 2015)

I can take or leave outer space stuff that isn't Star Wars or Star Trek, and Tales Of Honor is no different. While it's a solid and polished concept with decent artwork I don't care enough to spend any money on it.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Review- BRENDA STARR: THE COMPLETE PRE-CODE CLASSICS VOL. 1: GOOD GIRLS, BONDAGE, AND OTHER FINE THINGS

BRENDA STARR: THE COMPLETE PRE-CODE CLASSICS VOL. 1: GOOD GIRLS, BONDAGE, AND OTHER FINE THINGS (Hermes Press, 2013; Hardcover)

Collects Brenda Starr Comics Nos. 13 and 14 (or 1 and 2 as listed in the indicia of this book, originally published by Four Star Comics ) and Brenda Starr Nos. 3-8 (originally published by Superior Comics, cover dates September, 1947- May, 1949)

Writer: Unknown

Artists: Dale Messick, Matt Baker, and the Iger Studios artists

I'll admit it. The sensationalist title and cover image made me look twice. Brenda Starr? Who fucking cares about Brenda Starr? And yet I was intrigued to eventually pick this book up. Once I flipped through it it got bumped up to the reading pile. Sorry seven boxes of unread Marvel Masterworks, PS Artbooks, normal-sized non-Warren Magazine Dark Horse Archives and DC Archives, but this seemed intriguing enough for me to pass you all by. 

Brenda Starr began life as a newspaper comic strip like all “respectable” properties. Comic books in those days were the ghetto, where creators who couldn't make the big time went to peddle their wares. The strip was around for seven years by the time that a comic book counterpart was launched. These comics, like the strip, were done by Dale Messick. The comic book didn't seem to have the legs that the strip did (no pun intended), as there weren't very many issues published when compared to the strip, which ran until 2011. An interesting tidbit that I came across while researching this post was that June Brigman of Power Pack fame did the artwork on the strip for a number of years. Hermes Press, please compile these in hardcover and TAKE MY MONEY.

Back when America was great because employees had no rights!

Brenda Starr is a reporter in an age when females weren't taken seriously in the workplace. Indeed, the rampant sexism of the era is present throughout the comic book. It's unintentionally funny here in 2014. The overly sensitive may be offended by these non-politically correct comic books. It's funny how everyone wants to marry Brenda, since people supposedly didn't have sex before marriage in “the good old days”. The comic, like the strip, takes place in Chicago, but the street names and landmarks don't ring any bells for me. I have been to Chicago many times over the years and love it there.

One thing that I found interesting was the transition in #8 from hand lettering to the Leroy mechanical hand lettering template most commonly found in EC Comics. I recognized the clear lettering style immediately. I wish that more comic books used this font, even today. 

The non-Brenda Starr back-up stories are also included.

While the title of this book might lead you to think that this is a cheesecake comic, there isn't much in the way of innuendo or double entendres. Golden Age Wonder Woman has this beat hollow. This is still an entertaining read that bleeds charm. I enjoyed this so much that I have since picked up Hermes Press' Brenda Starr daily and Sundays strip book. I hope to read it someday. Hopefully we will see a volume 2 in this line, which should collect #9-12 from Superior Comics, #13-15 from the 1955 Charlton series, and the one-shot published by Dell in 1963.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- The cover image found on the dustjacket is repeated on the casewrap of the hardback.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: Introduction by Ron Goulart (3 pages)

Focus: Restoring Brenda Starr (2 pages)

Several pages of original art, water color guides for Sunday strips, and other Dale Messick art found throughout the book.

Linework and Color restoration rating: 4.5 out of 5. These are digitally cleaned up high resolution scans. This warts and all approach allows you to see all of the imperfections present in the original comics including but not limited to line bleed and off register printing. Some fans love this authenticity, others want full blown “frame up” digital reconstruction. I have rated these based on the quality of the restoration as cleaned up scans. They look pretty sharp.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Semi-glossy coated stock with a slight sheen. I tell you, I could sit and huff these sweet smelling Chinese made books all day.

Binding rating: 5 out of 5. Smyth sewn binding, 7 stitches per signature. The book lays about 95% flat in one hand.

Hardback cover coating rating: 4 out of 5. The casewrapping suffered a few very light scuffs during handling and reading, which is disappointing considering how gingerly I handle my books. I'm not the Samsonite gorilla, folks.

Buy BRENDA STARR: THE COMPLETE PRE-CODE CLASSICS VOL. 1: GOOD GIRLS, BONDAGE, AND OTHER FINE THINGS HC at InStockTrades!

Reviews- FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2013 offerings Part the Second

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2013 offerings Part the Second

Note: Free Comic Book Day will be referred to as FCBD from here on out.

Ramayan 3392 AD FCBD Special (Graphic India, cover date 2013)

Writer: Various

Artist: Various

Colorist: Various

This jumps all over the place, bordering on being unreadable. Pass.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 0.75 out of 5.

Chakra The Invincible FCBD Special (Graphic India, cover date 2013)

Writers: Stan Lee, Aswin Pande, and Jeevan Kang

Artist: Jeevan Kang

Stan Lee is, without question, on the Mount Rushmore of comic book creators. God bless him for still being out there trying new things, especially when you consider his age and the fact that he's loaded and doesn't have to work. He has repeated his formula one time too many, though. This is basically his attempt at creating a superhero for India. It's decent enough but pretty forgettable.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2.5 out of 5. 

FCBD 2013: Infinity No. 1 (Marvel, cover date May, 2013)

Writer: Jonathan Hickman, Scott Edelman (LR back-up story), and Warren Ellis (A: EW)

Artists: Jim Cheung (Penciler) and Mark Morales (Inker), Mike Zeck (LR back-up story), and Mike McKone (A: EW)

Colorists: Justin Ponsor and Jason Keith (A: EW)

This is a prelude to Marvel's upcoming Infinity mini-series, which will help catapult Thanos back dead center in the Marvel Universe in anticipation of the Guardians of the Galaxy and/or Avengers 2 movies. Everything is slick and familiar looking for those who wandered in off the street. If someone had only seen the films and never read a comic book then they would get this.

The Thanos back-up story is reprinted from Logan's Run No. 6 from 1977 was a quarter box find of mine circa 1983. It was my first exposure to Thanos and Drax the Destroyer. I had no idea until much later that they were tied into the Marvel Universe.

There is also a four page preview of the forthcoming Avengers: Endless Wartime hardcover original graphic novel. As the Marvel Universe becomes more intertwined with the Marvel movie Universe, I expect the film versions to become the dominant interpretations of the characters, for better or worse. I doubt that this book will suck, though. It's Warren Ellis and Mike McKone, for chrissakes!

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5. 

Buck Rogers In The 25^th Century A.D. (Hermes Press, cover date 2013)

Writer: Phillip Nowlan

Artists: Richard Calkins

This a sampler of the Buck Rogers strip books that Hermes Press has been releasing. There are three “arcs” collected here. Two full color Sunday strips arcs which were originally printed in 1936 and 1937. I found these to be a tough read, nowhere near the quality of Flash Gordon. They were fascinating from a strictly historical viewpoint. I will not be buying these in hardcover.

There is also the original black and white dailies which ran from the premiere on January 7, 1929, and the six following strips. Buck Rogers did not journey into space, but instead fell into an abandoned Pittsburgh mine, where a strange chemical preserved him in suspended animation for 500 years. These dailies were far more entertaining if offensive to modern sensibilities. The Mongols are evil and have taken over the world!

There are images of the memorabilia of the 30s-50s throughout the back, which are equally fascinating.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5. 

The Red Ten: FCBD 2013 No. 0 (Comix Tribe, cover date 2013)

Writer: Tyler James

Artists: Tyler James (Penciler), Vic Moya (Inker), and others.

Colorists: Vasen Sorbal and others.

This is pretty derivative. The Alliance are basically The Avengers, and their nemesis, Oxymoron, is essentially the Joker. I am guessing that this will be a comic book riff on Ten Little Indians, judging by the text introduction which apes that poem, and the fact that there are ten members of the team. This is also billed as a ten issue murder mystery.

This was enjoyable enough, and some of the creators involved are decent enough that with some work they could possibly produce some good stuff. Time will tell.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2.75 out of 5. 

Bleeding Cool: FCBD and Beyond (Avatar Press, cover date May, 2013)

Writer: Rich Johnston and others

For those of you who don't know, Bleeding Cool is like the CNN of nerd culture. Up to the nanosecond updates, rumors, gossip, and everything else to do with comic books, movie, and television series related to the medium. They launched the bi-monthly magazine last year, and it fills a much-needed vacuum since Comics Buyers Guide unfortunately closed it's doors earlier this year. I still enjoy print magazines since I have an aversion to reading electronic devices on the toilet.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

I will have lots more FCBD reviews over the next week or so. I spent the entire day hitting various comic shops in the Detroit area.