DC’S HOW TO LOSE A GUY GARDNER IN 10 DAYS
One of the best parts of these larger holiday specials is that they always have something for everybody. And this one is no different. Whether you were wondering whatever happened to Red Tornado’s relationship with Kathy Sutton, or just how good of a detective Plastic Man is when dealing with love, or even how Dick and Barbara manage a date night, it’s all here. And what I always find interesting is the creative teams being able to tell an interesting story in 10 pages or less. No crossovers, no multi title maxi-series, no easter eggs for future storylines. These days that is something rare and should be commended. I give it an 8 out of 10 Grahams.
YOUNG ROMANCE #125 FACSIMILE EDITION
In July of 1947, two men by the names of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby (YES! THAT SIMON AND KIRBY!) gave Prize Comics a new title filled to the brim with tales of love. And is reguarded as the first romance comic. However, when Prize stopped publishing the title after 124 issues, DC Comics swooped in and kept the title going for an additional 84 issue. And they turned over the first issue’s cover of their new love comic to John Romita! This is a jaw dropping look into a different time. Some of the time lost features were the offer to learn to play the guitar like Chet Atkins (does anyone remember Chet Atkins?) for a mere $3, the love advise column by Laura Penn – Your Romance Reporter (whose writer was never credited), and the Miss Young America page where two young women were spotlighted from around the country. With each girl receiving the original sketch of them from John Romita! Fun fact, Laura Penn became so popular that she switched hair colors and styles over the years as well as getting glasses! She also took over narrating some of the stories herself as the stories were based on some of her letters! An amazing look at the world of teenage love in 1963. Completely dated, you will be dumbfounded by the stuff in here! I love it. 10 out of 10 Grahams.
GODZILLA VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL IDW COMICS
Ok, this is really going out on a limb! Godzilla … giant kaiju … gets a Valentine’s Day Special?! Luckily for me, movie reviewer and Godzilla fanatic Sly Hondo was hanging out at Doc’s Corner tonight. So I figured I’d get his insight. Alright. Thanks Doc for having me here for this week’s comic book review. First, right off the bat, Zoe Tunnell’s story tries to blend the Kaiju action with the forming love story between Piper and Tam. Unfortunately, it’s focused too much on the human characters and quite shy of monster fights. And the story plays like an action romance. With the romance seeming to have been left up in the air except for the last ‘3 years later’ page that reveals that they are now married. There is actually a panel where you wonder if the whole build up was a misunderstanding two pages earlier, when Tam tries to recruit Piper into the EDF. Many of the secondary characters appear briefly for no good reason except for the two romantic leads to react to or react at. One great example is the boy who pilots MegaGodzilla. No backstory. And what about girl who just works at the office. Very boring characters. Next, is Sebastian Piriz’s art style. It reminds me of a cross between American Anime and earyl Vertigo comic art. I am not a fan of this style and aside from the small kaiju images at the tops of a few pages, Godzilla and the gang are hardly recognizable and do show up in some really weird poses. As a romance story, it sort of works. As a Godzilla book, it seems to be following in some of the other current titles where the Kaiju take a back seat. This is one story that didn’t capture my attention at all. My rating is 1 out of 10 Grahams.
