A Comical Journey

Review: Men in Black: The Movie (Oct 1997) -Official Comic Adaptation

2010-02-11T14:52:00.000-06:00

Men in Black: The Movie
Marvel Comics
October 1997

Writing: Lowell Cunningham
Art: Rod Whigham

Well, they did one thing right on this movie adaptation, which was to get the actual creator of the Men in Black to write the comics adaptation of the movie inspired by the comics!

The premise behind MIB is that there is a secret government agency that deals with the aliens (legal and illegal) living on earth. From there we move to standard buddy-movie fare with aliens as the backdrop: Old veteran with new upstart partner. Classic.

The Story
Experienced agent Kay enlists the help of a young cop names James Edwards who recently stopped an alien by himself. Because of how good he is, even though he has authority issues, James is enlisted as a recruit for MIB and becomes Agent Kay's partner.

Overall, this is not bad, but unfortunately, this adaptation suffers from what most adaptation suffer from: trying to cram a movie into a short comic book. Much of the feel, pacing, characterization, and mood suffer from this. It would probably take a 2-3 issue limited series to best get it right. This is a similar problem that movies made from books suffer from. In this case, many jokes fall flat, because of the comic timing and delivery of the actors, where in a comic book, it would take more panels to be able to get the joke across correctly.

While I absolutely love the concept of MIB (and look forward to reading other MIB comics), this adaptation only makes me hungry for good comics of MIB (or the movie) leaving this issue very forgettable.

The final panel leaves me hope..."To be continued in MIB: Retribution!"

The Art
The art is nice, with good likenesses of Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith.

Fun Comic Ads #1!

2010-02-11T13:14:00.000-06:00

This is a great ad for two strong comics!

It is interesting to note that the Fantastic Four wasn't considered a super-hero comics book, but a fantasy book. It makes sense, as the feel of the Fantastic Four, and especially the Hulk, come straight from some of the work that Stan Lee, Kirby, Ditko, et al, were doing on the fantasy titles. I'm thinking Ditko did the art on the top porting, but I wonder if it was Ditko, or someone else on the bottom, as the artist doesn't appear too comfortable with those characters, or rushed the job. Either way, this is a fun ad!

Review: Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962)

2010-02-11T12:59:00.000-06:00

Incredible Hulk #1
Marvel Comics
May 1962

Writing: Stan Lee
Art: Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman

"Who is the Hulk?" "What is the Hulk?" "The Hulk is Coming!" These blurbs have been all over the insides of other Marvel Comics this month, and now we get to see what the hype was about...the new comic series...The Incredible Hulk!

With great cover-hype, "The strangest man of all time!!" "Is he man or monster or... is he both" "fantasy as you like it!", it seems that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby have decided to take a concept from their science-fantasy books and create an entire book around one character.

The Cover

The Cover is a brilliant cover with a scrawny young blond (although he is dark-haired in the book) scientist with glasses apparently transforming into a freakishly large Frankenstein's-monster mixed with Hyde. While he changes, several army personnel and a young girl watch on in horror! While the events never quite unfold like this, the cover does a great job of indicating what is in the book, plus it is jut a fantastic cover! I also love that the monsters face has such a rich depth of...humanity, I'll call it. Brilliant! This falls into my all-time-favorite-covers gallery!

The Story

The issue begins with a weapon. The most powerful weapon built to-date...the gamma bomb! About to be tested, the lead scientist, Dr. Bruce Banner, discovers that a kid has gotten onto the test-site. He rushes off to rescue him, while certain events cause the bomb to explode! But, Dr. Banner doesn't die...he changes! Now, when the moon comes up, Dr. Banner is replaced by the immensely powerful Hulk, with only teenager Rick Jones knowing his secret, Dr. Banner must now learn to protect the world from the Hulk, keep hidden from the army that is now after him (lead by "Thunderbolt" Ross), and sacrifice his one chance for true love (Betty Ross) to keep her from being hurt by his alter-ego. Meanwhile, the Gargoyle, the most feared villain in Russia, want to defeat or capture the Hulk to prove his superiority!

When the Hulk confronts Betty, she passes out. Her father, Thunderbolt Ross finds her, and at this point swears that he will find and kill the Hulk. It is this level of believable character development and direction that makes stories great. I can feel how Ross will either kill the Hulk or die trying. Hulk is his white whale.

This Hulk is everything that Bruce isn't. He is strong, doesn't rely on smarts, and fears nothing. The Hulk, though, while keeping many of Banner's memories, doesn't really know that he is Banner at first, and when he finds out, he want to remain the strong Hulk, and not return to being the milksop Banner. The tension that each alter-ego feels about the other is quite strong, well-written and elevates this story.

The Art

Kirby's art in this issue is amazing. From the characters expressions, to the exciting action, Kirby completely nails it. While he does leave many backgrounds blank, it works well in this issue as I only noticed it when I was looking. I also love expressions he puts into the Hulk...so, instead of just a rampaging dumb monster, we have a conflicted and confused soul in a super-body. Great stuff!

Fun Facts:

One funny bit: The "genius" Bruce Banner hides the secret formula for the gamma bomb taped to the bottom of a glass beaker! Heh.

Interesting: General "Thunderbolt" Ross is a two-star general with a yin-yang patch on his shoulder. I wonder what the symbol is for in the military?

Final Thoughts

This book is an amazing comic due to the art, the story, and the characterization. It is a perfect bridge between the monster and mystery comics of the late 50's, cold war hysteria, and the nascent Marvel Age of comics that is about to blossom. I can't recommend this book enough!

Review: Popular Comics #10 (Nov 1936)

2010-02-10T22:58:00.001-06:00

Popular Comics #10
Dell Comics
November, 1936

Writing: various
Art: various

Popular Comics #10 continues the 64-page format with over 100 comics!

More strip leave this issue as they get dropped and moved over to Dell's newest strip magazine, The Funnies.

Scribbly by Sheldon Mayer.
- Parental Problems by Beck
- Looie by Martin Branner: Not too bad.

Returning this issue:

Life's Little Tragedies
Uncle Bill

Popular Comics remains a strong read of great strips, especially in the action/adventure category..

The strips (in order of first appearance):

Dick Tracy by Chester Gould: "Cut" Famin closes his trap on Tracy! Great stuff!

Smitty by Walter Berndt: How guns make us brave! Heh.

Herby by Walter Berndt: Fishing? Cute.

Terry and the Pirates by Milton Caniff: The Dragon-Lady's treasure is brought to China for redistribution...but the Dragon Lady has designs to get it back!

Always Belittlin' by Percy Crosby. Helping the law! Funny.

Skippy by Percy Crosby. Kid justice. Yikes.

Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray. Annie learns about fame...and who gets it! I can't wait to see what she does to get some herself! I'm loving Annie's positive attitude in the face of failure! Very inspirational! Also, Harold Gray draws the cutest elephants ever!

Maw Green by Harold Gray. Maw knows her politicians!

Tippie by Edwina Dumm: Cute. You can just tell the Dumm is a huuuge dog lover that studies them in their day to day life.

Smokey Stover by Bill Holman: The main joke about the firemen mistaking a radio program for someone in trouble was okay, but the image of a fireman drinking from the hose was priceless!

Moon Mullins by Frank Willard: Unfunny horse-humor.

Kitty Higgins by W (Frank Willard):Eh.

Harold Teen by Carl Ed. Golf fun.

Little Joe by Ed Leffingwell. Little Joe bakes a cake. Really.

Little Folks by Jack Knight: Okay, if mean spirited joke, but poor execution.

Smilin' Jack by Zack: Yes, apparently lasat month's strip was out of order, now we are back to our fearless friends seeking rescue.

Tom Mix the Fighting Cowboy: Pictures over words. Boring. Tom is captured and escaped.

Mort Green and Wife by Gaar Williams: Eh, I've read better.

Zipper by Gaar Williams. Birds shouldn't annoy dogs! Heh.

The Gumps by Sidney Smith: Chester and Captain Dukette finish reading the captain's log of the Sir John Franklin and learn the horrible fate of his crew.

Tiny Tim by Stanley Link: Tim and Dotty meet Robin Hood and company!

Simp O'Dill by Sol Hess. Kinda punny..but not funny.

The Nebbs by Sol Hess. Not as funny this time.

Whiteboy in Skull Valley by Garrett Price: A crooked man gets branded! I like this strip, but the art is sub-par.

Gasoline Alley by Frank King. Skeezix starts his new job with his uncle crossing the country selling medicine. I think he is a snake-oil salesman...this should get interesting!

Ella and Her Fella by Al Posen. Cute, but the art is still not very good.

Mary Apple by Martha Orr. Mary Worth goes to see the mayor, but loses her evidence against Looter. Then, Looter gets his revenge! Interesting.

Winnie Winkle the Breadwinner by Martin Branner. They boys enlist a tough to get their clubhouse back.

Don Winslow U.S.N. by Lieut. Cmdr. Frank V. Martinek U.S.N.R. and Leon A Beroth. Don and Red head off to Doctor Q's headquarters.

Bos'n Hal Sea Scout by F.V. Martinek U.S.N.R and Leon A. Beroth. Hal goes to see Admiral Jones to tell him about Captain Bell.

Life's Little Tragedies by Becks: I was bummed to see this unfunny and uninteresting strip return. It's kind of like "Love Is..." but for bad stuff.

Lovey Dovey by Ferd Johnson. How not to get a raise. Funny.

Uncle Bill Just not funny.

A Strain on the Family Tie by Gaar Williams. Spring cleaning comes...how to keep their junk!

Sweeney and Son by Al Posen: Cute.

Streaky by Gus Edson. a plot to get Streaky off the baseball team.

Matt Davies Editorial Cartoon on GoComics.com

2010-02-10T06:54:00.000-06:00

A genius cartoon by Matt Davies on global warming and the scientific method of deniers!

Matt Davies Editorial Cartoon on GoComics.com

Review: D&D 4e: Combat Advantage #1: Power Knowledge

2010-02-08T11:05:00.001-06:00

Combat Advantage #1: Power Knowledge

Emerald Press.net

August 2008

Combat Advantage is a series of small articles produces by Emerald Press.net to add new options the the fourth edition of Dungeons and Dragons.

Power Knowledge is a little over 1-page long and is a free .pdf download (found here).

This is an add-on rule that allows characters with more intelligence to add several more powers to their repertoire. It allows characters to "know" more powers, but not use more on a daily basis. It is similar to the way magic-users would have to prepare spells in prior edition (or select dailies in 4th edition). In this case, while taking an extended rest, the player can choose which powers will be active the next day.

While I like the concept of this (who doesn't want more powers to play with), and I don't think it would unbalance anything, using Intelligence as the prime requisite for gaining these, I believe, does a disservice to the idea. Otherwise, a strong fighter-type who doesn't care about intelligence has to choose either to lower another ability (thus weakening him), while only gaining options, but not power. This would bring his net power down. Instead, I would tweak this idea to being based on the main stat used for a class build.

The only downside I see is that it can increase the complexity of the game a little bit and maybe slow some players down when they are doing their nightly swap-out.

Overall, I like this idea and would like to try it! So, for their first free .pdf, this was a good thought provoker for me, and I'm interested to see what comes next!

Review: Maverick #2 (Oct 1997)

2010-02-07T21:54:00.000-06:00

Maverick #2
Marvel Comics
Oct 1997

Writing: Jorge Gonzalez
Art: Jim Cheung, Andrew Pepoy

Maverick and Ivanova have been captured by Ivan the Terrible. During his torture we learn of his origin through flashbacks. I actually hadn't cared for the character until reading the tragedy of his marriage. Now, I feel much more for the character.

Ivan begins to twist Maverick to his own purposes...to the point that he is sent out to kill an ally!

This issue had a good story with great flashbacks and a good hook to the next issue. I'm definitely looking forward to the next issue, even if I don't think the character or book can last for long.

Review: Gunsmoke Western #70 (May 1962)

2010-02-07T21:26:00.000-06:00

Gunsmoke Western #70 (May 1962)
Marvel Comics
May 1962

Writing: Stan Lee
Art: Dick Ayers, Paul Reinman, Don Heck, Jack Kirby

This issue had me intrigued from the cover itself by Kirby and Ayers! Kid Colt is tied up and being marched down the street to his presumed hanging (or maybe jail time), while one man looks on waiting for an excuse to gun him down! The townsfolk watch on in horror. Great stuff!

I very much enjoyed this issue. The art is really nice, the stories are fun, and the characters are interesting. A book like this is what keeps me interested in Westerns!

The stories:

"When an Outlaw Escapes!" Kid Colt is about to leave a town where he wasn't recognize, when he becomes entangled with the local bad boys as he helps an old man. He then has to decide how to help the man pay his mortgage...by letting himself be captured! I really like this story...great drama, action, and seeing the true spirit of Kid Colt!

"The Return of Darrow, the Gunfighter!" The story of Dave Darrow. Local town-tough Crugg tries to pick a fight with Darrow, but he won't take the bait...is he yellow? This is a really good story about revenge and cowardice.

"Moose Mangum, the Ambusher!" Moose Mangum and his posse set up an ambush for one of the top lawmen, Natchez, who is coming to clean up the outlaws. Can Natchez out-think his enemies? This was good, with some nice tension and some good "mind versus might".

"The Montana Kid!" An old sheriff has to take on the Montana Kid for the sake of his son, whom he hasn't seen for 15 years. I think pretty much everyone can see where this one ends. Still, it was pretty good.

Review: Popular Comics #9 (Oct 1936)

2010-02-07T16:52:00.000-06:00

Popular Comics #9
Dell Comics
October, 1936

Writing: various
Art: various

In October of 1936, with the success of Popular Comics, Dell Comics started a second title: The Funnies. Several strips would bounce between these comics, thus creating room for new strips in this book. Still carrying over 100 strips in every issue, Popular Comics is a treat!

This issue also advertises the new comic, "The Funnies" that also is in the same 64-page format with over 100 comics! The winners of the "Name the comic" are announced, too! This issue sees many strips leave, presumably to go into "The Funnies".

Gone this issue:

Texas Slim
Mutt and Jeff
Cicero's Cat
Life's Little Tragedies
Bronc Peeler and Coyote Pete
Tailspin Tommy
Tad of the Tanbark
Don Dixon
Reg'lar Feller
Daisybelle
Ben Webster's Page
Uncle Bill
Ginger

New this issue:

The Nebbs
Simp O'Dill
Mary Apple

Returning this issue:

Zipper by Gaar Williams. A cute topper about a dog.

Even with the departure of some favorites, this is still a strong book with many great strips to enjoy!    There is plenty of action, adventure, comedy, and even some romance to enjoy! I enjoyed this issue and look forward to the next issue and the new "The Funnies" book!

The strips (in order of first appearance):

The Nebbs by Sol Hess. Junior, high on the glow from nabbing a criminal (even if on accident) gets into trouble with a bully, but will his luck hold out? Pretty funny. The art on this strip is a little simple, but nice. The cartoon characters are clean and interesting, but the backgrounds are pretty sparse. This is the first time I've ever heard of this strip, but it has me intrigued.

Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray. Annie is about to become a star in a motion picture! Or is she just being used? Very intriguing.

Maw Green by Harold Gray. Still dispensing good advice!

Smitty by Walter Berndt: How exclamations can order food! Heh.

Herby by Walter Berndt: Kinda mean.

Dick Tracy by Chester Gould: Tracy begins to take his new (temporary) job in HomeVille as police chief very seriously. How will the criminals react?

Always Belittlin' by Percy Crosby. Always cute and funny!

Skippy by Percy Crosby. How do you handle a new dog? heh.

Tippie by Edwina Dumm: Cute.

Harold Teen by Carl Ed.   When feelings for worms can get you in trouble! While this is a cute strip that I enjoy, it has thick accents and lots of timely slang...which, together, make me miss part of it, I think!

Moon Mullins by Frank Willard: Who knows what pain lurks in a man's sock! Heh.

Kitty Higgins by W (Frank Willard): Great joke! The beauty is that I should have seen this joke re-done since the 30's, but I haven't and it was fresh!

Terry and the Pirates by Milton Caniff: A bridging strip between story-lines, but still interesting. Ohhh, and my favorite new word: clockydoodle.

Scribbly by Sheldon Mayer. Heh. Ving Parker goes on a quest to find and train Scribbly!

Little Joe by Ed Leffingwell. A good philosophy on living versus living long. Nice.

Ella and Her Fella by Al Posen. ot funny, and I think the art is getting sketchier and worse.

Sweeney and Son by Al Posen: Heh. Is that a baseball bat in your coat...

Tom Mix the Fighting Cowboy: Pictures over words. Boring. Tom is captured and escaped.

Little Folks by Jack Knight: Fun!

The Gumps by Sidney Smith: Reunited, with help from the Eskimo tribe, the team sets of to find their way home...but what mystery does an ancient ship harbor?

Smokey Stover by Bill Holman: Smoking, exploding cigars, and gasoline. Heh.

Whiteboy in Skull Valley by Garrett Price: Bob gets attacked for his circus reward money.

Gasoline Alley by Frank King. A misunderstanding of words that is quite funny!

Mary Apple by Martha Orr. A new strip for me, and one I've never heard of. This strip has very classic artwork. Starting after crippled school-kid Dennie has helped the police in some previous strips, he is promoted to class-monitor. He asks his teacher for where her brother is as his grandma needs money owed from him. It will probably take a few strips to get into this one. Luckily, they gave us four strips to start this out. I'm still not sure what the storyline is yet, but I'm starting to piece it together and enjoy it.

Don Winslow U.S.N. by Lieut. Cmdr. Frank V. Martinek U.S.N.R. and Leon A Beroth. Doctor Q's plan continues.

Bos'n Hal Sea Scout by F.V. Martinek U.S.N.R and Leon A. Beroth. Hal finds Captain Bell on board...

Parental Problems by Beck. Four single panel jokes...or slices of life...boring and unfunny.

Smilin' Jack by Zack: I'm confused...they seem to be back up in their balloon exploring...maybe this is just an out of order strip from prior to the balloon crash.

A Strain on the Family Tie by Gaar Williams. Money problems. Heh.

Winnie Winkle the Breadwinner by Martin Branner. They boys enlist a friend to get their clubhouse back from the girls. Heh.

Lovey Dovey by Ferd Johnson. What can go wrong trying to get into a ball game? Heh.

Zipper by Gaar Williams. Cute topper about a dog...and a log!

Mort Green and Wife by Gaar Williams: What can go wrong with breakfast in bed! Heh.

Simp O'Dill by Sol Hess. A new topper for me. This is really a standard 5-panel strip that could be a daily strip. Not funny, unfortunately. Simp gets snookered.

Tiny Tim by Stanley Link: Tim and Dotty meet the Tortise and the Har.

Looie by Martin Branner: Not too bad.

Streaky by Gus Edson.   How to get on a baseball team! Cute.

Review: Dungeon Magazine #156 (Digital edition, July 2008)

2010-02-05T17:05:00.000-06:00

Dungeon Magazine #156
Wizards of the Coast
July 2008

Wayne Reynolds does the art on this busy, but exciting cover depicting viscous monsters and amazingly deadly weapons and armor!

This issue starts the first new adventure path since the creation of the digital initiative (DDI) of which this magazine is a part. Called, "The Scales of War", this adventure path is designed to take characters from 1st through 30th level over the coming months! Since, though, I am currently playing in this adventure path, I will not be reading or commenting about The Scales of War, except to say that so far, in the first part, I'm having a great time!

Rescue at Rivenroar by David Noonan. [Heroic 1-10] Since I am in this adventure, I am not reading or commenting.

The Haunting of Kincep Mansion by Skip Williams. [Heroic 1-10]. Strange, the label says levels 1-10, but the adventure claims it is for 12th level. This is an update to a mansion that was posted on the website in 2003 for 3rd edition. This adventure deals with a pack of vampires and werewolves that have moved into the haunted mansion. Jaccobux, the owner and now ghost, can be a help to the party. As cool as the adventure is, I thought that this would be the perfect home base for a party of adventurers! Spend some money fixing it up, add some more defenses or guards, and make a deal with the ghost to keep bringing hims the knowledge he craves!

The Last Breaths of Ashenport by Ari Marmell. [Heroic 1-10]. A very Lovecraftian adventure for characters of level 8. This is an adventure updated to 4th edition. In it, the deep secret of a prosperous town becomes the quest of the adventurers. The call of Dagon approaches, seeking to destroy all those who are not worshippers... This is a good update that makes for a really creepy story and what looks to be a fun adventure! I'm looking forward to running this one!

Thunderspire Conversion: Forgotten Realms by Greg Bilsland. This is a nice companion to adventure H2: Thunderspire Labyrinth that converts it to the 4th edition Forgotten Realms campaign setting. It changes some NPC interactions, adds some Realms flavor, and even a new monster! This adventure seems much easier to convert then H1 was.

Thunderspire Labyrinth Sidetrek: Echoes of Thunderspire Labyrinth by Greg Bilsland. This is exactly what I wanted for Thunderspire: more encounter areas based on the maps! This adds four new quests with hooks and encounters. I like the idea of using Thunderspire as a more sandbox game area, and sprinkling in extra quests helps achieve that.

Dungeoncraft: Information Management, Part 1 by James Wyatt. This 2-part series covers organizing the information of a campaign for ease-of-use and good communication. Part 1 focuses on how to get the information to the players.

Dungeoncraft: Greenbriar Chasm by James Wyatt. This is an example of a campaign handout for players that James was creating. It is really helpful to not just have the how and why, but to actually show an example.

Save my Game: Saying Yes is a Skill (and Saying Yes With Skills) by Stephen Radney-Macfarland. Great article on why saying "yes" can help your game! All DM's should read this!

Map of Mystery: Vale of Fallen Wyrms. An interesting local with the bones of many dragons after a large gate-complex.

Final Thoughts:

A good second issue for the 4th edition. I like seeing support for the published adventures, the re-done old adventures, plus all-new material! The columns are helpful and enjoyable, making this worth the read.

Review: Fantastic Four #4 (May 1962)

2010-02-05T14:10:00.000-06:00

Fantastic Four #4
"The Fantastic Four in the Coming of... Sub-Mariner!"
Marvel Comics
May, 1962

Writing: Stan Lee
Art: Jack Kirby, Sol Brodsky

A seminal issues of the Fantastic Four! This issue brings the Golden Age character, the Sub-Mariner, into the modern Marvel Universe, while not discarding his Golden Age past!

The Cover:
I absolutely love this cover! It tells the whole story in one image: The sub-mariner is trying to capture Sue, while the rest of the team tries to rescue her...but as he hits the water, he becomes invincible! This includes an amazing image of the Thing...filled with anguish at what he has become! I love that image! One fun note: it looks like the colorist goofed up, as Reed is just starting to dip his foot in the water, and the Thing looks like he landed on sand...but the colors show water going behind them...it makes them look like they are floating/walking on water!

The Plot:
This issue continues where last issue left off...the Torch has run away due to the Thing's jealous actions over the young teen-ager. I like how this issue gives an actual flashback from the prior issue to bring the new reader up to speed. Then, the team splits up to search for Johnny. Meanwhile, Johnny ends up re-awakening the Sub-mariner's memories. Finding out his underwater city was destroyed by human atomic testing, he seeks revenge...

The Rest:
In fabulous Marvel style, many pages of the comics have these great teasers on the top or bottom: "Who is the Hulk? The Hulk is Coming!" I love this kind of excitement generation! I can't wait to read about this Hulk character!

I have to wonder about the team in this issue...they seem to not have much regard for others yet, as, in one of the silliest moments, Sue, while searching for Johnny, goes invisible to search. While invisible, she stops at a soda shop and drinks a soda through a straw, frightening a local. Heh. That means she must have stolen someone else's drink, or she went visible, bought a soda, then went invisible to drink. Either way is quite silly. Then, Mister Fantastic yanks a motorcyclist of of his moving cycle (which then must have gone on to crash) in order to see if he had seen Johnny. In another instance of this, The Thing smashes through the wall of Swanson's garage where the torch is burning up next to gasoline...he could have gone through the door. Then, The Thing uses that fact that Torch can't move because he would kill his friends in order to try to scare him. He then smashes one of the teens hot-rods through the wall. Some hero! I actually like how this humanizes the characters. On the other side of the coin,Namor comes off beautifully arrogant and imperial, with no cares but his revenge.

This issue also add a welcome letters page with a great editorial voice (I'm assuming written by Stan Lee). My favorite example, when a fan asks what the encore comic to the Fantastic Four will be:

"That's easy, Shirl! We can always come up with new titles like The Fantastic Five, The Fantastic Six, etc. -- As long as we don't run out of numbers!"

Or, at the bottom of the letters page:

"It's Impossible for us to answer your letters personally. So, watch this space for your answer. It may take years, but what else have you got to do??"

Heh. Reading comics like these, with strong editorial voices and great salesmanship helps me to understand what really made these comics stand out from the crowd! I love it!

Also, again, this issue retains its ties to the Marvel Monster books, by introducing Giganto, the enormous undersea monster! Plus, the book still retains chapter titles, in line with standard comic which is filled with short stories.

Final Thoughts:

This is a fun book with flawed characters. It has action, great art, fun stories, and a strong editorial feel. While it does have some logic gaps in character behavior, they can mostly be forgiven as they adapt to their powers and new life. Highly recommended!

Review: Popular Comics #8 (Sep 1936)

2010-02-05T12:20:00.000-06:00

Popular Comics #8
Dell Comics
September, 1936

Writing: various
Art: various

Released in September of 1936, Popular Comics was still going strong with over 100 strips per issue, and in future months, several spin-off series in the same format. By combining many of the country's most beloved Sunday funnies in a monthly periodical, Dell Publishing made a strong and much-desired product.

This issue also hypes up the fact that the new comics magazine will be announced next issue, along with the name of the winner of the "Name the new comics magazine" contest! Also, an announcement is given that Apple Mary will join the cast with the next issue!

I'm wondering how close to newspaper printing these strips are, as the strips that have left and returned, seem to return right where they left off. Maybe there is almost no buffer of strips, so when strips do repeats, or they print too many in Popular Comics, they have to skip a month. Interesting. If any of you wondrous throngs of followers know the answer, please let me know.

Returning this issue:

Mutt and Jeff! This classic strip by Bud Fischer of two bumbling, scheming friends returns!
Cicero's Cat also by Bud Fischer returns to continue to put a smile on my face!
Tailspin Tommy.
Streaky by Gus Edson.

The strips (in order of first appearance):

Smitty by Walter Berndt: What is the mystery of "86"? Cute.

Herby by Walter Berndt: The cutest way I've ever seen to keep away from a dog!

Dick Tracy by Chester Gould: Now blind, Toby Townly starts to put her life back together. A little preachy this month, but still good. Then, Tracy takes a 6-month lead to help the town of HomeVille get out from under the heel of crime.

Mutt and Jeff by Bud Fischer: Funny horse-buggy problems!

Cicero's Cat by Bud Fischer: Why you should never back a cat into a corner. It is nice to see the kitty come out on top for once!

Moon Mullins by Frank Willard: Who knows what pain lurks in a man's sock! Heh.

Kitty Higgins by W (Frank Willard): Trust? Kitty dries some clothes by the fire. Hilarity ensues.

Little Joe by Ed Leffingwell. The General must helps Joe's family pay off a debt...but is the money clean? And what does this mean by making a deal with the seemingly generous outloaw General. I must admit that I am very intrigued by this strip!

Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray. Starting in a new direction, with Daddy Warbucks away, a kidnap attempt on Annie is foiled by a mysterious stranger...but what nefarious purpose does he have... I'm very curious about this new storyline!

Maw Green by Harold Gray. It is easy to find stuff when you stop looking! Cute!

Always Belittlin' by Percy Crosby. Kids can never believe their friends are just good at something...had to be some other reason! Heh.

Skippy by Percy Crosby. Cute.

Tippie by Edwina Dumm: Cute art, cute dog, cute strip.

Life's Little Tragedies by Becks. I still don't like it. It is not funny or insightful. Someone needs to explain this one to me.

Bronc Peeler and Coyote Pete by Fred Harmon: Still annoyingly not funny.

Ella and Her Fella by Posen. Eddie has sticker shock on his date with Ella! Heh.

Terry and the Pirates by Milton Caniff: What a tense strip! It is amazing how much tension Caniff can put into a Sunday strip!

Scribbly by Sheldon Mayer. Heh. Scribbly is about to meet the famous cartoonist and his hero Ving Parker...Fun Fact: The newspaper with Ving Parker's strips in it is the Daily Bugle! Heh. Maybe J. Jonah Jameson's grandpa ran it back then!

Tailspin Tommy by Hal Forrest. Getting interesting! This strip has nice artwork, but I am only sometimes interested in what is going on. Forrest has started to grab me with this latest adventure dealing with two scenes of danger in parallel: Betty escaping the kidnappers, and Tommy battling inside a plane!

Tad of the Tanbark by Bob Moore and Carl Pfeufer. No matter how hard I try, I can't get into this series.

Don Dixon by Bob Moore and Carl Pfeufer. Or this one.

Reg'lar Fellers by Gene Byrnes. Fun!

Daisybelle by Gene Byrnes. My sentiments about sunbathing encapsulated! The second strip I have to reproduce here, as it shows the brilliance of Gene Byrnes' humor!

A Strain on the Family Tie by Gaar Williams. What musical instrument will be chosen? Heh.

The Gumps by Sidney Smith: Rescue comes to the Arctic...or does it! This is still a very well plotted and interesting story!

Harold Teen by Carl Ed. When an accent becomes a comedic misunderstanding! Very nicely done!

Gasoline Alley by Frank King. A misunderstanding of words that is quite funny!

Tom Mix the Fighting Cowboy: Pictures over words. Boring.

Don Winslow U.S.N. by Lieut. Cmdr. Frank V. Martinek U.S.N.R. and Leon A Beroth. Doctor Q has a plan that would let him destroy any part of the planet he wants! Cool!

Bos'n Hal Sea Scout by F.V. Martinek U.S.N.R and Leon A. Beroth. The crews days seem numbered! I'm getting very involved in this strip, it is great!

Whiteboy in Skull Valley by Price: The circus adventure seems to come to a satisfying conclusion.

Little Folks by Jack Knight: Bullying is funny...apparently.

Winnie Winkle the Breadwinner by Martin Branner. How not to become a club member...heh.

Looie by Branner: Not too bad.

Ben Webster's Page by Edwin Alger: Ben finds a new friend on his quest.

Smilin' Jack by Zack: Crash landed, can a pigeon save our heroes?

Tiny Tim by Stanley Link: Tim and Dotty meet Robinson Crusoe.

Uncle Bill by Gaar Willaims: an unfunny topper.

Mort Green and Wife by Gaar Williams: Back to no being funny.

Lovey Dovey by Ferd Johnson. Be careful with your clothes, kids! Heh.

Texas Slim by Ferd Johnson. A true man's phone book! Heh.

Sweeney and Son by Al Posen: Heh. Is that a baseball bat in your coat...

Streaky by Gus Edson. Ahhh...cheating and physical violence. I love you 1930's!

Ginger by Banks: Will power versus money...

Smokey Stover by Bill Holman: An axe in a movie theatre. Heh.

Thunderspire Labyrinth: A Good Dungeons & Dragons Adventure! - Wizards Rpg Team and Mike Mearls - Thunderspire Labyrinth - Epinions.com

2010-02-03T23:11:00.000-06:00

Review: Thunderspire Labyrinth: A Good Dungeons & Dragons Adventure!

Review: Marvel Team-up v2 #2 (Oct 1997)

2010-01-31T23:11:00.000-06:00

Marvel Team-up #2
Marvel Comics
October 1997

Story: Tom Peyer
Art: Al Milgrom, Pat Oliffe

An anonymous message is sent the the Daily Bugle warning that millions will die in Crete. Needing transportation to Crete (the newly downsized Bugle has no travel budget for this), and with the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and other heroes all dead (well...see Heroes Reborn), Peter seeks out Hercules. Dr. Zeus, hateful of the modern world and globalization, uses his genetic skills to create a menagerie of ancient monsters to exact his revenge.

Milgrom's art works very nicely for this story with Greek mythological overtones. It has a nice old-school tone to it, which fits in nicely with the fun story provided. Peyer is able to handle the interplay between Spidey and Herc very nicely. He also ties this issue to the first, and now I'm hooked on trying to figure out who the person behind these events is.

If you get over the logical hump of such a genius Dr. Zeus never having had made an impact before, and the wonder over where his funding comes from, this is a really fun story that captures the fun-filled nature of both Spider-man and Hercules. I'd like to see them team-up some more in the future!

Review: Amazing Adult Fantasy #12 (May 1962)

2010-01-31T22:07:00.000-06:00

Amazing Adult Fantasy #12
Marvel Comics
May 1962

Story: Stan Lee
Art: Steve Ditko

Respecting my intelligence (as the cover blurb claims), this issue of strange fantasy tales has five new stories. Written by Stan Lee, with amazing Ditko artwork, this series does have a different feel then the other similar books on the stands, even if that difference is mostly artificial, such as a consistent look through the issue (one artist), and a table of contents...plus, it says that it is "The Magazine That Respects Your Intelligence!". Unfortunately, it still has a title that may lead one to believe it is a wholly different type of magazine!

This issue debuts a letters column (I assume written by Stan Lee), which features one great letter response to a reader discussing the "adult" in the title"

...the only reason we put the word ADULT on the cover is to distinguish our carefully-edited, and literately written mag from the usual crop of comics which seem to be slanted for the average 6 year old with a 3 year old mentality!"

Heh. Perfect Stan Lee hyperbole..especially as he is writing a large portion of those other comics! Great stuff! This type of connection with the readers, I believe, was a big part of the Marvel Age of comics taking fandom by storm.

The stories:

"Melvin and the Martian!" Melvin Burns...cheat... card-shark.. crook... can he bluff a martian? I was rather disappointed by this story, as since the alien is searching for a human, why was he looking under rocks and such? The twist ending just didn't work for me.

"I, the Gargoyle" Mr. Alan Swan (Ugly duckling...swan...awesome name!), one of the most generous and nicest people in the world was born with the visage of a gargoyle...not able to find love...signs up to drive the atomic mole machine to the center of the earth, knowing that he will never return. Good story, but I found it funny that the world's most sophisticated machine, the Mole Machine, is just in a yard next to a dilapidated shack...and not at an awesome futuristic military complex. And it is manned by an old-farmer looking guy. Weird.

"Something Fantastig?" [sic] A neat story that breaks the barrier between "reality" and "comics". In it, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko are in their office with no story and a looming deadline...then, they are met by a stranger selling a strange tale to them. This is a fun, quick, story.

"The Plague!" Ramon Corbo, takes over a county by force and becomes an evil dictator. The, his country beset by the plague, he orders war against America. This is another great tale of irony!

"The Living Statues" Mankind finally develops a faster then light spaceship. Lazy man Mike Rugger plans to cheat his way into piloting the test ship...and gain fortune and glory. But, what affect can a faster-then-light vessel have on a man? This is a great story dealing with some scientific thought mixed with a lazy, evil person getting what they deserve.

Review: Popular Comics #7 (Aug 1936)

2010-01-29T15:02:00.001-06:00

Popular Comics #7
Dell Comics
August 1936

Writing: various
Art: various

August of 1936 saw the continued sale of Popular Comics, a comic-book that reprinted the Sunday strips of popular newspaper strips of the day.
The cover is another mash-up of various characters in the series, but shows Little Orphan Annie in a very out-of-character fashion...about to set off a large firecracker under the backside of someone, while Dick Tracy looks on admiringly. Very disturbing and wrong.

Still boasting over 100 comics in this issue, there is plenty to read for everyone!

Gone this issue

Zipper
Streaky

Returning this issue:

A strain on the Family Tie

I also love that the last page announces a contest to name the new comics magazine debuting in a few months! The winner receives $50.00! That is a lot of money for the time! I'm assuming that comic will be called, "The Funnies" as that is release then, but I'm surprised that two months would be enough time to receive mail, vote, and print the new comic...makes me wonder how legitimate it really was.

The strips (in order of first appearance):

Gasoline Alley by Frank King. Cigarettes will get you in trouble every time.

A Strain on the Family Tie by Gaar Williams. Hidden fireworks can be trouble to those wishing to read the Declaration of Independence! Heh.

Terry and the Pirates by Milton Caniff: Why is the Dragon Lady holding them prisoner? And, can the buy their way out? Great stuff! In the second strip, we finally learn the mystery of why they are prisoners. Wow, she is really evil!

Smitty by Bernd: More baseball fun.

Herby by Bernd: cute

Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray. More great philosophizing...this time Warbucks conservative American values versus corrupt politicians. Even if you are not a conservative, Warbucks makes some great points and I can't wait to see him go into action!

Maw Green by Harold Gray. Cute!

Always Belittlin' by Percy Crosby. Makes me laugh out loud most every time!

Skippy by Percy Crosby. Cute.

Dick Tracy by Chester Gould: Tracy tries to discover the truth to get innocent Toby Townly out of jail. Good stuff!

Little Joe by Ed Leffingwell. The General must stop a coup!

Harold Teen by Carl Ed. Heh. When speaking to the wife...never talk about past love!

Reg'lar Fellers by Gene Byrnes. Fun!

Daisybelle by Gene Byrnes. My sentiments about sunbathing encapsulated!

Bronc Peeler and Coyote Pete by Fred Harmon: Still annoyingly not funny.

Smilin' Jack by Zack: As they begin to explore the stratosphere in the new balloon, could there be a stowaway?

The Gumps by Sidney Smith: Nefarious plots in the Arctic continue!

Lovey Dovey by Ferd Johnson. Why losing your keys is bad! Heh!

Texas Slim by Ferd Johnson. Funny horseshoe humor!

Winnie Winkle the Breadwinner by Martin Branner. Made me laugh.

Looie by Branner: Not too bad.

Moon Mullins by Frank Willard: Greed will get you in the end! Heh.

Kitty Higgins by W (Frank Willard): Trust? Cute.

Ginger by Banks: Will power versus money...

Little Folks by Jack Knight: More proof why spanking is bad. Not funny.

Ella and Her Fella by Posen. Always trust the woman. Cute.

Tippie by Edwina Dumm: Always funny! Why won't puppy eat? Heh.

Scribbly by Sheldon Mayer. Heh. What does a boy wear under his smock?

Ben Webster's Page by Edwin Alger: Ben learns who the actual son is and his fate the butler is about to provide to him! He attempts to escape! This is an exciting strip lately!

Don Winslow U.S.N. by Lieut. Cmdr. Frank V. Martinek U.S.N.R. and Leon A Beroth. Returning with the Scorpion's secret book, what will be next! Who is Doctor Q? And, can they stop the attack mentioned in the secret code? I love this strip!

Bos'n Hal Sea Scout by F.V. Martinek U.S.N.R and Leon A. Beroth. The mutinous crew sails away...

Tom Mix the Fighting Cowboy: Nothing to see here...move along...

Tad of the Tanbark by Bob Moore and Carl Pfeufer. Keep moving...

Don Dixon by Bob Moore and Carl Pfeufer. A little farther....

Sweeney and Son by Posen: Now you've made it to some fun stuff!

Mort Green and Wife by Gaar Williams: Cute, for once.

Uncle Bill by Gaar Willaims: an unfunny topper.

Life's Little Tragedies by Becks. I still don't like it.

Tiny Tim by Stanley Link: Tim and Dotty meet the crooked man. Cute.

Smokey Stover by Bill Holman: An axe in a movie theatre. Heh.

Whiteboy in Skull Valley by Price: Bob White must protect Sylvia the circus queen.

Review: D&D 4E: Scourge of the Rat-Men (Adamant Entertainment)

2010-01-29T08:58:00.001-06:00

Scourge of the Rat-Men
Adamant Entertainment
July 2008

One of the earliest adventures for the 4th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons, it is designed for characters of 1st through 3rd level.

In this adventure, a town, stretched to the limit with refugees, is struggling with the loss of livestock, and recently, children. The adventurers are tasked with helping them stop the scourge of the rat-

Scourge of the Rat-Men

Aside: One odd thing, the rat-men are sometime hyphenated, and sometimes not.

The adventure comes with a battle-mat (pages of blank squares) that can be printed out for use with miniatures (a waste of space, really). And for the forest encounter and the well battle, there are printable encounter tiles...which are also a waste. The forest one is just ugly, and doesn't add anything, and the well one is just a blank grid with a well in the middle. You will be better off drawing on a battle-mat or using Dungeon Tiles or something similar.

The Art

The art is a wide range of styles, from rather cartoony, to really strong pencil-drawings (the rat-man on page 11). Unfortunately, there are only a couple of really good drawings, and the rest don't add much to the adventure.

Introduction p3

This describes how to use the adventure and provides a plot synopsis of the adventure.

Stand and Deliver p4-6

The adventure begins immediately with an encounter with four human bandits and a war dog. I love adventures that start this way, as it gets the players involved right from the start. The stats for each are given, plus tactics, treasure, and further adventures. The encounter is a pretty good first combat. The bandits have a neat power with their dazzling strike power that stuns, and war dogs that can knock enemies prone, thus providing combat advantage, which the bandits can take advantage of. I did find the treasure write up odd..."a few handfuls of silver coins, totaling no more than a dozen gp in value." Why not just say: Treasure: 12gp worth of silver.

Edgecombe p7-10

This section describes the town that the adventurers will next come to. I like the idea of a town overwhelmed with refugees, to the point where there are no inns, taverns, or temples, as they have all been converted to housing. It is here in town, that the party will meet with Uther Flint, the leader, and learn of the events plaguing the town. This is a good set-up, but I would have like to see more info on the town and townsfolk. I would love to have seen skill challenges to help with the problems here, or encounters and challenges dealing with this interesting set-up...but, no, the adventure as written doesn't really require any of this neat set-up.

Smelling a Rat p11-13

The next encounter, unfortunately, makes a lot of assumptions...mainly that the PC's will be doing guard-duty, and that they will be near where three rat-men assassins will be killing. Plus, three level 6 enemies may be a lot for a party of five 1st level characters. Then, the one consideration to the party not being there or not seeing the rat-men as they crawled out of the well, is that wet paw-prints will remain, but will dry up early in the morning--although this also assumes the party will be there early. As a DM, I have many ways to work around these flaws, but the adventure should have thought about them.

Lair of the Ratmen p14-32

The adventurers descend into the lair of the rat-men. Here is the meat of the adventure, but unfortunately, it, too, is beset by problems. The first trap (a nasty level 6 trap) is interesting...a poison dart shooting wall that can target 2d4 targets in range 20 (pretty nasty if the party is first level)...very Indiana Jones! The part I don't like is that to disarm it, a thievery check is done against the tripwire and not the trap itself...seems odd since the tripwire already triggered the trap...otherwise there is no way to disarm the trap once triggered. It is also not shown on the map, just described.

Then, the hallway splits into two passages...both that end in a dead end...and one with a staircase ending in a dead-end. Hmmm...I wonder if there could be secret doors there...oh yes there are. Boring...why bother with secret doors if it is going to be obvious? Plus, the room behind the second secret door doesn't even mention it and assumes the party is coming through the secret door, as it mentions a rat-man escaping across the room from them.

The primary reason I wanted this adventure was for cool new rat-men to add to the game. Unfortunately, the rat-men are very uninspired. They have some swarm abilities (+2 damage on melee if two or more rat-men are adjacent to target), but nothing else that makes me think of them as rat-men. Even the champions and other big-guys have no cool "rat" abilities that make them unique. I was very let down.

Then, if the party investigates the old jail cells (with no description of them removing the image of iron bars from my mind), they find two ochre jellies trapped in the cells. This makes no sense, as the jellies could just slide between the bars. The adventure writer was sloppy and could have made a neat description about a different type of door (perception check) that could tip of the party about something unique and different inside. Then, there is no treasure or even reason for this encounter. It just feels random.

Level 2 of the dungeon has a rather boring layout, with locked, empty rooms and uninspired layouts.

There is a magic mirror/escape portal that the rat-men use in emergency. This should have been located later in the dungeon, or at least have the means to let the characters know that this is for escaping, not for exploring. A party could easily go through and never finish this adventure.

The party will discover a "carnage demon"...a rather boring demon that is tough, but nothing unique. I was rather put-off by the author trying to be amusing in the tactics section...this is the whole entry:

"It's a Brute, called a 'carnage demon.' I think you can probably guess."

Wow, how condescending and annoying...especially in a first level adventure where newer DM's could be playing and may not know.

I was also annoyed at the part that intrigued me the most...crossing a bridge over an underground river, the party notices and eerie blue glow to the west. Then, the condescending narrator returns,

"If, for some reason, the players decide to investigate the eerie blue glow, figure out a way down the 20 feet to the river, and manage to traverse 40 feet of rushing river, they will discover..."

Again, why the need to be so snarky? Based on the intriguing description of the blue glow, I imagine most players will at least attempt to find a way to what is, arguably, the most interesting part of the adventure so far. And, what do they find if they do a great job and actually make it? A monster...no treasure...no plot...just a monster. What a wasted opportunity!

Final Thoughts

What a wasted opportunity. The premise is nice, but the cliched encounters, poor maps, missed chances, and boring rat-men make this adventure a waste. With a little work, though, a good DM could make something better of this, but I wouldn't waste my time or efforts on this one.
____________________________________________
Adamant Entertainment
by Gareth-Michael Skara
Art: A. Nemo, Alex Cort, Brian Massey, Gareth-Michael Skara, and Shaman's Stock Art
Cartography: Big Finger Games' Stock, Art Maps, Copyright Michael Todd, Used With Permission

Required Books:
Player's Handbook
Dungeon Master's Guide
Monster Manual
Dice
Miniatures

Review: Marvel Adventures #7 (Oct 1997)

2010-01-28T16:35:00.000-06:00

Marvel Adventures #7
Marvel Comics
October 1997

Writing: Ralph Macchio
Art: Andy Kuhn, Harry Candelario

This issue of the more kid-friendly version of the Marvel Universe, continues the story of the Hulk. Bruce is kidnapped by Tyrannus in his war against the mole-man for the control of subterranea. Bruce is tempted by the fountain of youth...the one thing that can control the Hulk...

This was a pretty good story dealing with the Bruce trying to think his way out of a situation, including letting out the Hulk when needed. While I don't like what he does (or doesn't do) with the villain at the end, the story was a good story with good art.

Being that this story is in the more kid-friendly, or easier-to-read category, there are plenty of logic gaps the Hulk could jump through, but if you read this more like an old comic-book, it is fun.

Review: Tales to Astonish #30 (April 1962)

2010-01-28T15:45:00.000-06:00

Tales to Astonish #30
Marvel Comics
April, 1962

Writing: Stan Lee
Art: Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers, Steve Ditko, Don Heck

The split-cover really grabs my attention. From the top, with a man in a swamp boat between a space-ship and a monster, to the Gorilla-man breaking out of a restraint, this issue promises excitement! In fact, the cover even proclaims that the gorilla-man is back due to popular demand!

Luckily, the insides deliver the goods that I was hoping for, and make for an enjoyable read, with some nice art.

The Stories:

"The Return of the Gorilla-Man" I love that a one-page synopsis of his prior appearance is given! When last we saw Franz Radzik, he had fully inhabited the gorilla's body, but became locked up in a zoo, since he couldn't speak. This great story ends up with him in an even worse predicament then when he started, but could lead to a fantastic third story! I hope to see him return again!

"The Thing from Hidden Swamp" What gift can a thankful alien give to the depressed girl? Interesting story.

"What Was the Staggering Secret of the 13th Floor" I love this title! It just flows nicely. The story is interesting, but ultimately a little disappointing.

"Quogg!" Totally silly, but I love Quogg none-the-less!

Review: Popular Comics #6 (July 1936)

2010-01-28T14:58:00.000-06:00

Popular Comics #6
Dell Comics
July, 1936

Writing: various
Art: various

July of 1936 saw the production of three comics. Two were from what would become DC comics: More Fun Comics #11 and New Comics #6, while Dell continued to publish it's Sunday reprint comic: Popular Comics with issue #6.

Feeding into the readiness of kids to enjoy Summer vacation, the cover with kids from various strips in the comic running past Dick Tracy is cute.

With over 100 comics in this issue, there is plenty to read over the Summer!

New to this issue is one of my favorite strips: Scribbly Jibblet by Sheldon Mayer. This amusing story of a young boy with dreams of being a cartoonist always brings a smile to my face.

Returning this issue:

Gasoline Alley! I am happy to see this return, as I was enjoying the previous storyline.
Tad of the Tanbark. Still not a fan.
Don Dixon...see above

The strips (in order of first appearance):

Smitty by Bernd: Smitty is taken to a ball game, where his editor has a verbal duel of wits with Babe Ruth! Cool!

Little Joe by Ed Leffingwell. Utah gets attacked by the generals men...can Little Joe help? This is the first strip where I've had any interest...I hope it continues!

Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray. The plot against Warbucks continues...and promises to be very interesting! These last few strips have some great philosophizing of the nature of man, through the prism of Daddy Warbucks. Fantastic stuff!

Maw Green by Harold Gray. Pride...even Maw has it!

Always Belittlin' by Percy Crosby. Almost every strip has a classic joke!

Skippy by Percy Crosby. A little mean, this month, as young boys often are.

Dick Tracy by Chester Gould: A rather gruesome ending to an evil man...wow (and an unbelievable escape by a damsel).

Reg'lar Fellers by Gene Byrnes. I failed to understand the cultural reference in the first strip. It is amazing what 70+ years can do!

Daisybelle by Gene Byrnes. Cute cat truth!

Terry and the Pirates by Milton Caniff: Still prisoners in the Dragon Lady's dungeon, Terry and Connie continue to help protect Pat.

Gasoline Alley by Frank King. The welcome return of Gasoline Alley to these pages brings...cat smuggling? Cute.

Moon Mullins by Frank Willard: Cats and ukeleles... not bad.

Kitty Higgins by W (Frank Willard): Trust? What trust? Heh.

Smilin' Jack by Zack: As they begin to explore the stratosphere in the new balloon, could there be a stowaway?

Tad of the Tanbark by Bob Moore and Carl Pfeufer. Kind of depressing...

Don Dixon by Bob Moore and Carl Pfeufer. Still not getting into it.

Harold Teen by Carl Ed. A cute strip about a hero being "ruined" by love.

Winnie Winkle the Breadwinner by Martin Branner. What can break up a meeting of kids? Cute.

Looie by Branner: The 3rd funny strip in a row! Fun wordplay!

Bronc Peeler by Fred Harmon: Prospecting can breed jealousy...just too bad it doesn't breed more funny.

Ella and Her Fella by Posen. Cute.

Scribbly by Sheldon Mayer. Yes! Finally, one of my favorite strips premiers in this book! Scribbly is the story of a young kid with dreams of being a cartoonist. In this one, Scribbly gets in trouble in school for drawing...but who gets the last laugh?

The Gumps by Sidney Smith: We get a slice of how the missing Chester Gump affects the world who was following his historic flight.

Tippie by Edward: Again proving how pantomime can be extremely funny...a lesson I wish more comic strips followed...more show...less talk.

Lovey Dovey by Ferd Johnson. Farm animals are not you friends... heh.

Texas Slim by Ferd Johnson. Almost funny.

Life's Little Tragedies by Becks. I still don't like it.

Don Winslow U.S.N. by Lieut. Cmdr. Frank V. Martinek U.S.N.R. and Leon A Beroth. They begin the search underwater for the secret book that was sunk with the Scorpion's ship. A very engaging strip, this is.

Bos'n Hal Sea Scout by F.V. Martinek U.S.N.R and Leon A. Beroth. Mutiny may be coming! Cool!

Tom Mix the Fighting Cowboy: No comment. I really don't like this one.

Little Folks by Jack Knight: Tries to be punny--and fails. pwned.

Ginger by Banks: Another new strip. Cute.

Whiteboy in Skull Valley by Price: Heh, an elephant riding circus girl in the old west. I'd like to see a whole strip just based on her! Fun!

Mort Green and Wife by Gaar Williams: Still not funny.

Zipper by Gaar Willaims: I don't get it.

Ben Webster's Page by Edwin Alger: With a butler who doesn't believe Ben is the missing son...what lengths will he go to to prove it? Good stuff!

Tiny Tim by Stanley Link: Tim and Dotty meet Old King Cole. Cute.

Streaky by Gus Edson: a new strip. Cute.

Sweeney and Son by Posen: Fun stuff!

Smokey Stover by Bill Holman: Good stuff.

Herby by Bernd: cute

Mike Luckovich Editorial Cartoon on GoComics.com

2010-01-27T08:50:00.000-06:00

This is a brilliant cartoon that matches my thoughts on the recent supreme court ruling!

Mike Luckovich Editorial Cartoon on GoComics.com

Review: Heroes For Hire #4 (Oct 1997)

2010-01-23T21:26:00.000-06:00

Heroes for Hire #4
Marvel Comics
October 1997

Writing: John Ostrander
Art: Pasquel Ferry, Jaime Mendoza

A Team of villains tries to take the aircraft carrier Intrepid, and the Heroes For Hire must stop them...

The Master of the World continues his schemes...can teh Controller take over the Heroes?

John Ostrander continues to to tell good stories with great characterization. Luke Cage, after being mocked by a U-Foe for swearing "Christmas" says why, "My grandma didn't like me to swear. And my grandmother is meaner then you!" Heh. Great line and characterization!

While I love Ostrander's writing, I'm not a fan of the art team on this book. The art goes from being to cartoony, to having manga-style action backgrounds, to characters looking different from panel to panel.

The story for this issue was good, but not great, but the last few panels have me itching to read the next issue! Great cliffhanger!

Review: Tales of Suspense #28 (Apr 1962)

2010-01-23T20:46:00.000-06:00

Tales of Suspense #28
Marvel Comics
April 1962

Writing: Stan Lee
Art: Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Paul Reinman

I really like the cover on this issue, with the four-square grid showing each of the main four stories. Nice, simple, and intriguing!

This issue is a strong issue, with two really good stories, one good story, and one that was not so good. The art is strong, and the tales are fun...and suspenseful!

The stories:

"Titan, the Amphibian From Atlantis!"

A giant monster from the deep ascends! The opening splash panel has an amazing shot of the monster, with a border of people up in building looking on in terror. The strange part, though, is that in-between the two is the drawing of the city that is totally out of scale. Strange.

The story revolves around Atlanteans wishing to return to the surface world and seeking a traitor to the human race to help them! This is a great story...of sacrifice, fear, and the human ideal.

"Back From the Dead!"

A common criminal flees to Easter Island, where a native tells him a fantastic tale about aliens! This was another good story this issue, and one where the bad guy gets what he deserves.

"The Dummy"

The Great Gregory claims to be the world's greatest ventriloquist...but what great secret does he hide? This was a cute ending, that was, while not great, it was fun.

"The Secret of the Black Planet"

A prisoner escapes from a prison planet...but will he escape his fate? This was my least favorite...it was a typical story, but a little more silly then the average "just desserts" fate.

Review: Popular Comics #5 (Jun 1936)

2010-01-22T15:38:00.000-06:00

Popular Comics #5
Dell Comics
June, 1936

Writing: various
Art: various

June of 1936 was a small month for comics. More Fun Comics skipped that month, leaving only one DC comic: New Comics #5, and one Dell comic: Popular Comics #5.

Popular Comics #5 continues with the great cover blurb, "America's Favorite Funnies". This perfectly encapsulates what this book is about. With over 100 strips, there is something for everyone who enjoys comics in this book.

New to this issue is the strip Tippie, about a realistic, if crazy, dog, but missing from this issue is Baby Sister by Jack Knight (not a big loss) and Gasoline Alley by Frank King (which I was getting into, so I hope it returns soon).

The strips (in order of first appearance):

Harold Teen by Carl Ed. Love makes Alec Smart do some crazy things...but not enough to actually be funny. Lately, this strip just hasn't been funny. The second strip, though, was amusing as a younger brother ruins Harold's chance for a date. The third strip also surprised and amused me. Nice.

Dick Tracy by Chester Gould: War is made against the gambling underworld, while the the criminal leader, Joe, has Tracy's girlfriend kidnapped in a rather exciting, scary, and sick scene. I am consistently amazed by the great stories, sharp art, and edginess of this strip!

Always Belittlin' by Percy Crosby. Funny fishing stuff!

Skippy by Percy Crosby. Two boys get into a typical argument. Funny stuff, reminds me of fights when I was a kid! The second strip on golfing was quite good, too!

Reg'lar Fellers by Gene Byrnes. A fun way to win at ping-pong!

Daisybelle by Gene Byrnes. he second waffle iron strip in this issue. Weird, but funny.

Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray. We finally learn what the mysterious new invention is..and it is a doozy! Now, as the world stand to benefit, Slugg has plans to steal it to enslave the world! He would make a great super-hero comic villain!

Maw Green by Harold Gray. She continues to espouse advice that is even valuable today. This topper is should be read by everyone, even today! Great advice for the world.

Smilin' Jack by Zack: As a new adventure awaits...Jack gets embarrassed yet again.

Moon Mullins by Frank Willard: what havoc can a washing machine reek?

Kitty Higgins by W (Frank Willard): Kitty tries to do good, but hilarity ensues.

Tippie by Edward: Tippie, the tale of a dog living in a family home appears. It is a pantomime (at least this one) of a realistic and crazy dog. Nice art and amusing!

Tom Mix the Fighting Cowboy: I just can't get into this cowboy strip.

Bronc Peeler by Fred Harmon: The unfunny trend continues.

Winnie Winkle the Breadwinner by Branner. The kids go fishing for a half-dollar. Cute.

Looie by Branner: The 2nd funny strip in a row! Maybe there is hope for Looie.

Terry and the Pirates by Milton Caniff: Still prisoners in the Dragon Lady's dungeon, Terry and friends must find a way out! They are invited to a dinner with the Dragon Lady, and find out there tastes don't quite match. Fun and funny! The rest of the strips are about a jealous pirate wanting to kill Terry.

Ella and Her Fella by Posen. A great use of breaking the fourth wall...nice!

Ginger by Banks: Another new strip. Not funny.

The Gumps by Sidney Smith: The arctic danger continues, as the young Chester gets separated from the captain and the rest of the party.

Lovey Dovey by Ferd Johnson. The wife tries to learn how to drive...or attempts to.

Texas Slim by Ferd Johnson. Heh.

Mort Green and Wife by Gaar Williams: Not funny.

Zipper by Gaar Willaims: I don't get it.

Ben Webster's Page by Edwin Alger: Ben and Briarsie arrive at the palatial estate of his father he never knew. But, the butler suspects that Ben really isn't the missing child and hatches a scheme.

Smokey Stover by Bill Holman: Probably my favorite part of this strip is the punny character names. In this issue: "...meet the Shott brothers. Buck and B.B." Heh, great stuff! This was just renemaed from "Smokey" to "Smokey Stover".

A Strain on the Family Tie by Gaar Williams: Cute.

Don Winslow U.S.N. by Lieut. Cmdr. Frank V. Martinek U.S.N.R. and Leon A Beroth. Still an exciting and thrilling strip!

Bos'n Hal Sea Scout by F.V. Martinek U.S.N.R and Leon A. Beroth. The tropical island in the arctic harbors another secret...gold!

Little Joe by Ed Leffingwell. 'm just not getting this strip.

Little Folks by Jack Knight: riends can get a bit ornery when trying to share fairly.

Streaky by Gus Edson: a new strip. Cute.

Tiny Tim by Stanley Link: Tim and Dotty earn what happened to Cinderella after the story.

Smitty by Bernd: As a new-ish father, this one really hit home. Nice.

Herby by Bernd: cute

Whiteboy in Skull Valley by Price: very intriguing...

Sweeney and Son by Posen: Fun stuff!

Life's Little Tragedies by Becks. I still don't get it.

Review: [D&D 4e] Points of Conflit 1: The Charnel Pit

2010-01-21T14:59:00.000-06:00

Points of Conflict 1: The Charnel Pit
Ivory Goat Press
2008 (month ?)

Released as a free .pdf only product, Points of Conflict are encounters designed to be thrown into any game as random encounters, or added into an adventure's mix.

Ivory Goat Press (as far as I can tell) is Roger Carbol, and only has three releases to-date (three Points of Conflict). The shame is, I love the name "Ivory Goat Press"!

The Charnel Pit is a seven-page .pdf file, with no art and bright, solid colors that distract from the text. The Charnel Pit is a 1st level encounter in an underground chamber containing elven skeletons and carrion beetles. The first two pages contain the encounter, page three is legal text, page four is a DM map, page five is a player map, page six is an initiative chart and basic counters, and page seven is a back cover.

For a free download (here), this isn't too bad. It is an interesting little encounter with interesting terrain, but nothing too groundbreaking or new. It could be nice for a newer DM, as it provides everything (beyond the core books and dice) that is required to run the encounter. I would have like to see some non-minions in the battle to mix it up a bit, or something a little beyond "cool corridor plus lots of minions, but, overall, could be useful in a pinch as a random dungeon location.