With another birthday just around the corner, I was feeling a bit nostalgic tonight.
So, while I could tell you that Godzilla VS Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #3 from IDW/Boom Studios is starting to introduce more characters from both franchises which is making the story a bit more interesting and deserves a 7 out of 10 Grahams.
Or that Rise of Dracula #6 the final issue of this title from Source Point Press leaves us on a cliffhanger to be carried over into a new title, Reign of Dracula. Which seems a little unfair to me. Seems to me that Rise of Dracula could have continued with the current numbering system and just had the name swapped out. Been done dozens of times in the past. This one feels a bit disjointed as the creative team tries to continue the story while trying to bringing the current story to a stop and is only getting a 6 out of 10 Grahams.
Or that Adventureman #9 from Image Comicsis still rocking it out with realistic characters and an old time pulp feel to it, earning it an 8 out of 10 Grahams.
I’ve decided to dive head long into the back issues boxes for some old time treats!
WALT DISNEY’S SILLY SYMPHONIES #3 (1953) DELL COMICS
An oversized collection of stories with a wrap around cover featuring the popular and the obscure from the talented folks at Disney. And so while Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are here so are such classics as Bongo the Bear, Little Gauchito, Pablo, the Cold-Blooded Penguin, and Little Minnehaha. And all of this jammed into one book for all of a quarter (at least back in 1953)! Many of these characters are from Disney’s series of shorts known as Silly Symphonies and are highlighted by the Disney artists who talent knew no bounds. This one brings back all kinds of memories and earns itself a 9 out of 10 Grahams.
KAMANDI #13 (1974) DC COMICS
Jack Kirby at DC Comics brought forth some of the most unique characters the company has ever come up with. A cross between Mad Max and the Planet of the Apes, the “Last Boy on Earth” is up to his bottom lip in adventure. Trapped in an animal compound and forced to compete in a win or die race, Kamandi can only count on the help of his giant grasshopper, Klikklak to win or escape. Hoping to free not only himself but his dead friend Flower’s sister, Spirit. And even if he does escape the leopards, what new post-apocalyptic danger awaits for him?! Amazingly, even after 48 years, Kamandi is still popping up around the DC Universe. But these, these were his best stories! I give it a 9 out of 10 Grahams.
WEREWOLF BY NIGHT #5 (1973) MARVEL COMICS
With legendary writer Len Wein at the helm, the story of Jack Russell and his animalistic alter ego was truly a joy to read. With plenty of subplots and memorable secondary characters, this title in the early days was a true horror soap opera. Could Jack’s sister also become a werewolf like him? Has the gangster-like scientist really come up with a way to save her from the curse? And with the art of the magnificent Mike Ploog on the page, this was a classic from the get go! The horror books of the 1970’s that Marvel was putting out seemed to be a direct follow up from the Universal Studios monster movies. Whether it was their black and white magazines like Dracula Lives or the regular ongoing mouthly series like this one, these comics rested neatly next to our pile of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. Again, this one deserves a 9 out of 10 Grahams.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE BACK ISSUE BOXES WHEN YOU GO IN TO PICK UP YOUR NEW RELEASES. THERE IS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE THERE!
