MARVEL WINTER BREAK SPECIAL #1 MARVEL COMICS
Obviously, Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs grew up reading the Amazing Heroes Magazine Swimsuit Specials of the 1990’s because they done a good job or recreating them here. With an amazing wrap through story involving Roxxon, dinosaur people, and hot tubs, This is entertaining with that extra bit of cheescake art (both male and female) that these books were known for. And while Seeley’s Tigra pinup, along with Justin Mason & Edgar Delgado’s Ghost Rider pinup are definately worth the price of admission, it is Deadpool’s line about eating the gumball eyeballs out of a Spider-Man popsicle that really put a smile on my face. 8 out of 10 Grahams.
FLASH #28 DC COMICS
While I have no great love of this current crossover from hell (A Fight Month indeed, HA!) It was an interesting choice for Jay Garrick to be representing team Flash. And his logic, tactics, and final decisions show why he is a real hero. And against Guy Gardner, his nobility really shines. And while little bits of Wally West and Impulse story peek through, this one really is about the original Flash. As a KO tie-in, I could care less. But as a Golden Age Flash story, it’s really worth an 8 out of 10 Grahams.
WITH THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, MANY A REVIEWER HAS BEEN LISTING OFF VARIOUS X-MAS COMICS FROM OVER THE YEARS. AND WHILE ONE OF MY FAVORITES OF RECENT TIMES WAS JSA #55 FROM THE 1999 SERIES, THAT’S NOT WHAT I’M THINKING ABOUT. LET’S BACK UP SEVERAL YEARS AND ONE OF MOST TREASURED HOLIDAY COMICS. A COMIC TITLE THAT CAN’T HELP BUT BE ABOUT CHRISTMAS. i’M TALKING, OF COURSE, ABOUT THE YEARLY ISSUE OF FAWCETT COMICS’ X-MAS COMICS.
X-MAS COMICS #2 (DECEMBER 1942) FAWCETT PUBLICATIONS
This one was truly a present to be found under the tree! At a whopping fifty cents (five times the cost of a regular comic!), this one was a true gamble on the part of Fawcett. This wasn’t some everyday 64 pager. No sir, this was an epic 324 page tomb of goodness featuring a huge part of the Fawcett universe. Sure the Marvel Family was the headliner but page after page of Bulletman and Bulletgirl, Spy Smasher, Mr. Scarlet and Pinky, Ibis, Golden Arrow, Phantom Eagle, Spooks, Commando Yank, and so many more. And even though the war time paper restrictions delayed issue #3 by 5 years and lowered the page count to a measly 132 pages, the first two issues of this title made you the coolest kid on the block. Rare and outragously priced today, this book was a sign of the times. 10 out of 10 Grahams (You’ll just have to trust me on this one.)