Reviews: ANT-MAN/ GIANT-MAN EPIC COLLECTION VOL 1: THE MAN IN THE ANT HILL, WOLVERINE: OLD MAN LOGAN VOL. 10: END OF THE WORLD, CRIME PATROL ANNUAL VOL. 2, FANTASTIC FOUR BY JOHN BYRNE OMNIBUS VOL. 2

There is no longer a void for this blog to fill. Talking about binding, paper, and restoration is now the norm, not the exception. My work is done in that regard. There are endless YouTube reviews, message boards, etc. I will pop in with pellet reviews. Consider this the “how I spent my summer vacation” book report.

ANT-MAN/ GIANT-MAN EPIC COLLECTION VOL. 1: THE MAN IN THE ANT HILL (Marvel, First Printing, 2015; Softcover)

Collects the Ant-Man/Giant-Man stories from Tales To Astonish #27, 35-59 (cover dates January, 1962- September, 1964)

While this is one of the “lesser” titles of the Silver Age, it was still a lot of fun to read. Readers with modern sensibilities will dislike the “you're just a girl, Wasp” vibe to some of the earlier stories, but this was a pre-women's lib era. I have a soft spot for Egghead and The Human Top. Seeing Ant-Man transition into Giant-Man was pretty cool.

WOLVERINE: OLD MAN LOGAN VOL. 10: END OF THE WORLD (Marvel, First Printing, 2018; Softcover)

Note: Book actually released in 2019.

Collects Old Man Logan #46-50 and Old Man Logan Annual #1 (cover dates October-December, 2018)

Good stuff, although it was pointless to end the series here. Rebooted numberings lose readers in the long run.

CRIME PATROL ANNUAL VOL. 2 (Gemstone, 2000; Softcover)

Collects Crime Patrol #12-16 (cover dates June-July, 1949- February-March, 1950)

EC remains the gold standard for comic books, even here in the “Pre-Trend” era collected here. The first steps toward EC becoming a Horror comic company happened here, with the introduction of The Crypt Keeper in a handful of stories until the final issue, which was basically the first issue of The Crypt Of Terror. Within a few issues that title would change into the more familiar Tales From The Crypt.

Gemstone used some pretty kick ass glue. This book is almost 20 years old and doesn't even creak when you open it.

FANTASTIC FOUR BY JOHN BYRNE OMNIBUS VOL. 2 (Marvel, First Printing, 2013; Hardcover)

Collects Fantastic Four #261-295, Fantastic Four Annual #18, 19, Alpha Flight #4, Avengers Annual #14, Thing #10, 19, and material from Epic Illustrated #26-34, Thing #7, What If? #36, and What The--?! #2, 10 (cover dates November, 1983- January, 1991)

1984 and 1985 were the zenith of western civilization. The spinner racks at 7-11 were filled with gold month in and month out. I thought that it would last forever, as children tend to do. Little did 10-11-12 year old me know that this was the second golden age of Marvel, and arguably the last time that every single title was hitting high marks at the same time. John Byrne remains a favorite of mine, and this stuff still holds up decades later. Hard to pinpoint a favorite issue, but #276 was one I read several times on the Christmas break from school in 1984.

Review- ROY THOMAS PRESENTS: THE HEAP VOL. 2

ROY THOMAS PRESENTS: THE HEAP VOL. 2 (PS Artbooks, First Printing, 2013; Hardcover)

Collects The Heap stories from Airboy Comics Vol. 5 #5-12, Vol. 6 #1, 12, Vol. 7 #1-8, 10, 11 a/k/a #52-60, 65-79, 81, 82 (cover dates June, 1948- December, 1950)

Writers: Carmine Infantino, Ernest Schroeder, and other unidentified writers

Artists: Carmine Infantino, Leonard Starr, Mike Roy, John Belfi, Clement Weisbacker, Bob Butts, Dan Zolnerowich, Frank Bolle, Paul Reinman, and Ernest Schroeder

This batch of stories with the original comic book swamp monster aren't as enjoyable as the earlier ones found in Volume 1. The artwork remains good throughout, and the writing has honest to gosh continuity, an uncommon occurrence for the era. This was a fun read in smaller doses.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

I enjoy huffing these Chinese made books. PS Artbooks smell the best. Whenever I crack one open I sit there and snort it...Oh yeah, that's the stuff.

This book has the ever delectable sweet, sweet toxic Chinese printing press smell, likely the result of paper sourced from virgin Amazon rainforests and ink which is a concoction of lead paint chips, broken and pulped asbestos tiles, mercury from recalled thermometers, and the final magical ingredient: the blood, sweat, and tears of the children working the sweatshop printing presses. If loving these books is wrong then I don't want to be right!

The sweet smell seems to go away from these books after a few years, so huff them early and often.

Linework and Color restoration: Like any PS Artbook, the quality varies issue by issue. This looks decent for a scan and print collection.

The raw scan presentation has the benefit of the feeling of reading the original comic book. The drawback, which is a huge one subjectively speaking, is that all of the shortcomings of the primitive four color printings presses are apparent. Line bleed, off register printing, and other anomalies are all present. It's a warts and all approach. Your mileage may vary and it all boils down to your preference.

Paper stock: Bright white matte stock.

Binding: Sewn binding.

Hardback cover notes: Matte casewrap with spot varnish. No dustjacket. Images printed directly onto the casewrap.

Review- TWO-FISTED TALES ANNUAL VOL. 1

TWO-FISTED TALES ANNUAL VOL. 1 (Gemstone,1994; Squarebound periodical)

Collects Two-Fisted Tales #18-22 (cover dates November/December, 1950- July/August, 1951)

Writers: Harvey Kurtzman, Al Feldstein, Wally Wood, and Johnny Craig

Artists: Harvey Kurtzman, Al Feldstein, Wally Wood, Johnny Craig, John Severin, Will Elder, Jack Davis, and Alex Toth

These red-blooded, he-man stories take place during different eras. You get pirates, Roman Empire, WWI stories and more, although most of the stories center around modern warfare. This was a most timely series, as we entered the Korean War only a few months before the first issue was released.

Take a glance at the credits above...it's a veritable who's who of Golden Age legends under one roof. I enjoyed every story in this book but my favorite was #22's Chicken! We have all encountered bullies in our lives, from school, work, etc., and every single one of them is a true coward at heart. It's amazing how the cues of abuse from bullies gets passed on like a baton. It was nice to see a bully get theirs at the end in this story.

Like all EC Comics, the writing and artwork are top notch. I read EC's at my leisure, content in the knowledge that whenever I crack one open I know that I'm getting into the good stuff.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Linework and Color restoration: Bill Gaines kept meticulous copies of the original artwork. The color palette is faithful to the original comic books, unlike the EC Archives line.

Paper stock: Standard mando paper of the day. While it is a quarter century old it has surprisingly maintained the off white creamy color. The blacks look weak, the result of the early water-based inks used in the flexograph printing process of the day. My other gripe is that the paper is tissue paper thin. Those accustomed to high end collected editions would be aghast at this authentic comic book paper.

Binding: Perfect bound.

Cover notes: This is not a trade paperback in the traditional sense of the word, since the first few EC Annuals used a super thick glossy comic cover as opposed to the cardstock that would be used for the majority of the line.

Review- PRE-CODE CLASSICS SPOOK VOL. 1

PRE-CODE CLASSICS SPOOK VOL. 1 (PS Artbooks, First Printing, 2018; Hardcover)

Collects Spook #22-26 (cover dates January- October, 1953, originally published by Star Comics)

Writers: Mickey Spillane and other unknown writers

Artists: L.B. Cole (covers), Ken Battlefield, George Peltz, Wally Wood, Rudy Palais, John Jordan, Vern Henkel, Jay Disbrow, Howard Larsen, and other unidentified artists

Weird. This series started out as Spook Detective Cases (#22) and was re-titled Spook Suspense And Mystery (#23-on). The series consisted of reprints from other titles until #26. There is a disjointed, decidedly tame bent to the first few issues in this book. Indeed, this series' claim to fame, as far as I can tell, are the brilliant covers by L.B. Cole.

In the first story in this book (Headless Horror!) we see the namesake of the series, Sergeant Spook. Spook is some sort of ghost cop who helps a kid solve a crime. Sergeant Spook was a recurring character in Blue Bolt comics of the 1940s, and two of those stories are reprinted in this book with more appearing in the next volume of the series. Spook is like Casper The Friendly Ghost...if he were an adult...and a cop. Other oddball stories are from true crime type comics of the 1940s and we even get one of those good girl/jungle girl type of tales in #25.

I have to say that this particular book was something of a letdown. Not so much because of the more pedestrian nature of the material for the era, but because I had myself so hyped up when it came out. The book seemed to sell out immediately and required a bit of a hunt for it. Once I obtained it I immediately bumped it to the very front of the reading pile. If it sold out so quickly it can only mean that it must be the greatest of all PS Artbooks, you know? 

No. Sometimes Diamond is just shorted shipments at the time and then the book appears later. Copies of the slipcase edition can still be obtained as of this writing. To quote those kids on the Internet: “It's aight.”

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

All original advertisements are included in these PS Artbooks. Some, like this one, are downright bizarre. 

Linework and Color restoration: Like any PS Artbook, the scanning quality varies issue by issue. This looks decent for a scan and print collection although it could have been better in spots. Issue 23 looks blurry, possibly sourced from one of the many public domain comic book sites. Many of those have lower resolution scans, as they were posted before 1200 dpi scanners became the norm.

Paper stock: I love the paper that PS Artbooks switched to a while back. It's a thick coated stock with a very slight sheen to it. Conventional wisdom is that this sort of paper doesn't work with 'scan and print' collections, but I disagree. There is something oddly pleasing about the contrast.

Binding: Sewn binding.

Hardback cover notes: Image printed on the casewrap. Casewrap has a matte coating which will resist shelfwear.

Review- COLLECTED WORKS: SKELETON HAND

COLLECTED WORKS: SKELETON HAND (PS Artbooks, First Printing, 2012; Hardcover)

Collects Skeleton Hand In Secrets Of The Supernatural #1-6 and Clutching Hand #1 (cover dates September/ October, 1952- July/ August, 1954)

Writers: Richard Hughes, Paul Gustavson, and other unidentified writers

Artists: Ken Bald, Pete Riss, Charles Sultan, Jon Blummer, Frank Simienski, King Ward, Gus Ricca, Edvard Mortiz, Harry Lazarus, Charles Nicholas, Milt Knopf, John Rosenberger, Sam Cooper, Dick Beck, Paul Cooper, Sheldon Moldoff, George Klein, Art Gates, Lin Streeter, Paul Gustavson, Ed Good, Ken Landau, and other unidentified artists

ACG (American Comics Group) is widely considered to be in the top 5 Pre-Code Horror comics publishers. Most of these comic books were thrown away by angry mothers who were aghast that their perfect 1950s children would soil their minds with such trash. These comics remain a sort of forbidden fruit nearly 70 years after they were originally published for that very reason.

Issue 2's The Bat And The Brain features artwork by Gus Ricca, whom I was previously unaware of. His art is incredible and my research revealed that he was a professional artist but only worked in comics for a dozen or so years.

Parenting techniques have changed in the last 70 years.

A lot of these Pre-Code Horror comics tend to bleed into one another after you've read enough of them. It becomes difficult to tell who nicked what and where they might have nicked it from. Most of the series writers are unknown. This series seemed to pick up steam with each issue.

The Clutching Hand one-shot is the best issue in the book. I especially enjoyed Flowering Death!, a tale of a serial killer who chooses his victims by their names (Rose, Aster, Marigold, etc.). It was an effective hook for a story.

This was a neat done in one volume series. PS Artbooks has buried us alive with these books and we love them for it. I likely won't live long enough to read and review them all but I'll give it a go.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

I enjoy huffing these Chinese made books. PS Artbooks smell the best. Whenever I crack one open I sit there and snort it...Oh yeah, that's the stuff.

This book has the ever delectable sweet, sweet toxic Chinese printing press smell, likely* the result of paper sourced from virgin Amazon rainforests and ink which is a concoction of lead paint chips, broken and pulped asbestos tiles, mercury from recalled thermometers, and the final magical ingredient: the blood, sweat, and tears of the children working the sweatshop printing presses. If loving these books is wrong then I don't want to be right!

*This is a joke, folks. Lighten up.

Linework and Color restoration: Like any PS Artbook, the scanning quality varies issue by issue. This looks decent for a scan and print collection although it could have been better in spots.

The raw scan presentation has the benefit of giving the reader the feeling of reading the original comic book. The drawback, which is a huge one subjectively speaking, is that all of the shortcomings of the primitive four color printings presses are apparent. Line bleed, off register printing, and other anomalies are all present. It's a warts and all approach. Your mileage may vary and it all boils down to your preference.

Paper stock: Bright white matte stock.

Binding: Sewn binding. This book is on the thicker side for a PS Artbook and it doesn't lay flat until a little ways in.

Hardback cover notes: Matte casewrap with spot varnish. No dustjacket. Images printed directly onto the casewrap.

Review- ALL STAR COMICS ARCHIVES VOL. 6

ALL STAR COMICS ARCHIVES VOL. 6 (DC, First Printing, 2000; Hardcover)

Collects All Star Comics #24-28 (cover dates Spring, 1945- April/May, 1946)

Writers: Gardner Fox with two-page text stories by Jay Marr, Jim Robinson, and Jesse Merlan

Artists: Joe Gallagher, Martin Naydel, Joe Kubert, H.G. Peter, Stan Aschmeier, Paul Reinman, and Jon Chester Kozlak

If you have never read an issue of All-Star Comics then I'll fill you in really quick. This title is the home of the Justice Society Of America, the first superhero team in the history of comic books. The issues are set up in what is now called a comic jam format. Each character is handled by a different artist, often the creator of the character. The team meets for a few pages, are presented with a case, and then split up to solve it, reconvening at the end to compare notes and solve the mystery or issue at hand.

Why is there even ONE way to skin a cat???

Our victory in World War II was hardly assured when issue 24 was released in early 1945. Carter Hall (Hawkman)'s neighbor's son has been drafted and sees no reason to fight Germany. Somehow the fairy spirit Conscience answers their call and splits the team of The Flash, The Green Lantern, Johnny Thunder, The Atom, Dr. Midnite, Wildcat, and Mr. Terrific (although not their secretary, Wonder Woman) up and sends them back through various points in time to show how savage and evil Germany is. Comic book propaganda at its best.

#26 is my favorite issue in not only this book, but in the whole series thus far. Metal creatures from Jupiter come to Earth. They are made of metal yet also feed on metal, taking on the properties of whatever kind of metal they consume. Each member figures out a way to beat these foes that they cannot physically defeat. It's a lot of fun to read and turned things around for me. The first two issues in this book were decidedly average for the era.

Issue 27 was a touching way of telling kids to not only be kind to people with various handicaps, but to adults returning from the war without limbs. The team used handicapped kids to help them solve their crimes. Issue 28 is more typical Golden Age fare, with someone from the year 11,946 looking back on the jars of paint and wondering why they shouldn't be used. It's told in a way that the adventure was a matter of record. It was a neat way of telling this tale.

Whoa! The ship that the unnamed Metal creatures from Jupiter arrived in looks an awful lot like the one that the Chitari used in The Avengers movie.

I am reading this line of Archives at a clip of about one per year, so I should be finished reading all 11 of them by 2022! Stay tuned.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

There are two one-page non-JSA stories in each issue, none of which are reprinted here.

Linework and Color restoration: The issue cover restoration is awful. The covers are cropped and there are endless coloring mistakes on each and every one. Worse still, DC never bothers remastering their material, even when better methods or source materials become available like Marvel does. This early DVD-level restoration will be passed off as 4k HD on fans in the inevitable Omnibus of this series.

The cover to #26 has the issue number removed from the cover.

The interior restoration is perfectly serviceable by today's standards and was excellent for the time this book was originally published. The linework looks good compared to scans of the original comics. The color palette is faithfully maintained although some blends are off. It could look so much better if DC allowed some of the current restoration pros take a crack at this stuff.

Paper stock: Super thick off-white coated stock.

Binding: Beautiful sewn binding.

Dustjacket and Hardback cover notes: Laminated dustjacket. Casewrap is faux leather with dye foil stamping. DC doesn't make books this classy anymore.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Matte coated cardstock cover.