BATMAN SUPERMAN WORLD’S FINEST #6 DC COMICS
Mark Waid continues to prove that he is the master of real dialog even in a one issue story like this. And the fact that we don’t seem to be concerned with time travel consequences, works out here. Due to the stories of Ray Bradbury and Lewis Jones, we all know that if you travel into the past, you are bound to change something in the future. Luckily, Waid is able to turn a blind eye to the concept and Robin’s trip to 1892 is a real gem. The story is a wonderful one shot with a heck of a lot of charm. A “Flying Fox” reference, Superman taking off his shirt and acting as a carnival strong man, and Robin’s honesty about his life are all high points. But the focas on Robin highlights not only his acrobatic abilities but that he is a formitable detective as well. And Travis Moore’s panels could be used as a heroic action pose tutorial. Story and art are all great, 9 out of 10 Grahams.
MISS MEOW #3 MERC PUBLISHING
Three issues in and we are discovering that the world of Miss Meow is a whole lot more complicated than we thought! With surprize after surprize revealed page after page, this one drops a lot on us. But that’s ok. While we still have plenty of mysteries to be revealed, This one has got some blood and violence that we should be expecting from a plot dealing with an all out siege of the good guy’s base. And although I do miss some of the campy moments from the previous issue, the seriousness of the situation takes us in a different direction. And luckily, the writers are spot on with the change in tone. This one earns itself an 8 out of 10 Grahams.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #1 (1964) FACSIMILE MARVEL COMICS
An All-Star Extravaganza that knocked us all for a loop when we saw in on the newstands some 58 years ago. Peter Parker was still an awkward youth. Betty Brant was a condender to be the love of Spider-Man’s life, and by now, Spider-Man had already begun a collection of beloved super-villains. And this was the opportunity to bring 6 of them together as the Sinister Six! With Stan Lee’ writing and Steve Ditko drawing, this 72 page Annual was destined to become a classic. Stan and Steve’s opus also featured cameos by most of the main feature characters from the Marvel Universe including Thor, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, the X-man, etc., etc.With page after page of Famous Foes Galleries and a short entitled The Secrets of Spider-Man, this book was the Spider-Man lovers dream comic. But to throw in a short tale featuring a day in the life of Lee and Ditko was really the icing on the cake. This facsimile edition asks as a reminder of what this generation of comic readers are missing. 10 out of 10 Grahams.
ULTRAMAN THE MYSTERY OF ULTRA SEVEN #1 MARVEL COMICS
Unfortunately, I grew up watching the original Ultraman television show on my Grandfather’s fizzy television. There was very little about the hero as we did not have the internet back then and local libraries had very little information about Japanese Kaiju programs. Since those early days, I have become more familiar with the Ultraman family but I never realized there was this much backstory. The mystery of UltraSeven is an interesting one. And the connection to the original Ultraman character is unique. And while the backstory of the Ultra is a good read, it is the unsettling bond between the two characters that makes this a page turner. It also make me want to rewatch the original series and then the Ultra Seven series to see if this story keep to the facts of the show. I give it an 8 out of 10 Grahams.
