THE ONLY LIVING BOY #1: PRISONER OF THE PATCHWORK PLANET by David Gallaher & Steve Ellis

In THE ONLY LIVING BOY #1: PRISONER OF THE PATCHWORK PLANET, a boy named Erik runs away from his home and falls asleep in a park. When he awakes, he discovers he is no longer home and he is now on a world that has some resemblance of his home, but one that has changed drastically. For instance, the moon has shattered and there are all kinds of creatures out to kill, eat, or capture Erik. The inhabitants of this world are amazed at Erik because he is a human boy and they have never seen one before. Initially, Erik isn’t as fast or fearsome of some of his opponents and he has to rely upon his intellect and wit to survive some unusual circumstances. I really enjoyed this first installment of THE ONLY LIVING BOY and look forward to reading further adventures of Erik. The story is different, but it reminded me of a more colorful and exciting version of the old Saturday morning series, LAND OF THE LOST.

Review: ARCHIE VS. SHARKNADO

A one-off spoof collaboration between Archie Comics and the Syfy Channel, ARCHIE VS. SHARKNADO treats the events of the SHARKNADO movies as real life occurrences with a Sharknado on the way to Riverdale.  Betty and Veronica are in Washington, D.C. during what I assume are some of the events of from SHARKNADO 3. Veronica's father is one of the first Riverdale victims to die and Betty and Veronica are left on their own to get back to Riverdale and warn them of the oncoming storm. Meanwhile, in Riverdale Archie and the rest of the gang find themselves unexpectedly in the middle of the Sharknado storm. Who will survive and who will die? The book is just as over-the-top as the Sharknado movies. However, what I liked best were the throw outs to other elements of pop culture, such as the reference that the drummer of Josie and the Pussycats looks like the woman who has been a part of the Sharknado disasters. ARCHIE VS. SHARKNADO is a fun little read.

Graphic Novel/Comic Review: THE FOX – FOX HUNT #1

Paul Patton is The Fox, a crime-fighting superhero of sorts. His wife and son know about his secret identity and all the good he has accomplished. Paul really wants to put his life of The Fox behind him, but he constantly finds himself involved in mysterious situations that only The Fox can seem to solve. For instance, while on a routine photography/social media assignment to his old hometown that's about to be bulldozed to make room for a water basin, Paul catches sight of a mysterious woman in green.  Something strange is going on and it's up to The Fox to find out what. I enjoyed reading THE FOX-FOX HUNT #1. It has a strange mix of mystical and realism that really plays around with the superhero format: it reminded me of an ANIMAL MAN story or DEADPOOL. I look forward to reading the rest of the series and finding out how the "Fox Hunt" will end.

Graphic Novel/Comic Review: THE BLACK HOOD #1

BLACK HOOD #1 is the origin story of a particular version of a crime fighter called The Black Hood. The story focuses around Greg Hettinger. Greg is just a normal cop in Philadelphia trying to do his job. He becomes a hero, loses half his face, and accidentally kills a vigilante called The Black Hood while on a routine stop near a public school. After months of therapy, he finds himself back on the force, but he is not at all himself. A series of unwise choices lead Greg into becoming what he thought he had killed. BLACK HOOD #1 is fairly straight-forward as action stories go. However, it is a bit more realistic in some aspects than other super-hero/crime-fighter stories, for instance illustrating how a pain medication addiction can affect one's behavior and cause a person to make strange choices. The story did keep my interest and I look forward to reading other parts of the tale.

Graphic Novel Review: LEGO NINJAGO #11: COMET CRISIS

LEGO NINJAGO: MASTERS OF SPINJITZU #11: COMET CRISIS tells the story of what happened during the time Jay, Cole, Zane & Kai were abandoned on a comet before they were able to make it make to Ninjago. The quartet believes they are alone on the giant space rock, but it soon becomes clear they are not. Appearances are deceiving and distrust grows among the group as they fight a foe they have never encountered before. I enjoyed LEGO NINJAGO: MASTERS OF SPINJITZU #11: COMET CRISIS. It was nice reading a story where the quartet was taken away from all that is familiar and fighting a completely new foe. For those who are fans of the tv show, this book makes a good companion piece.

Comic Book Review: GIANT-SIZE KUNG FU BIBLE STORIES

Back in the day (the 1970s), there were these huge jumbo editions of comics that used to be issued that sometimes featured crossovers with various comic icons (Superman vs. Spider-Man for instance).  The GIANT-SIZE KUNG FU BIBLE STORIES references those older jumbo comics, but does so all in parody. The book features several different and completely unrelated stories and none of them have anything to do with Kung Fu or the Bible.

"Secret  Crisis on Ultimate Earth" – there's a cataclysmic event and all the different universes of superheroes are fighting against each other on one plane. How will it end? There are a lot of inside comic references in this story.

"Empowered: Feel the Uberburn" – a female superhero is helping train another female superhero.

"Astronomus" – a giant monster appears to destroy Astronomus' comrades and he goes on a rampage, but things aren't exactly what they appear to be.

"Snowman Slaughter" -  a boy is convinced the rich kid in his class destroyed his snowman, but it turns out that's not the case at all.

"Jack Champion" – Jack and his two friends drop off some groceries at Jack's uncle's place. However, they end up discovering something unbelievable.

"Opus: Destroyer of Worlds" – after bedding a female super warrior, Opus destroys her planet.

"Frankenstein of Mars" – Frankenstein is on Mars, enough said.

In addition to the stories, there are a set of black and white pin-up pictures by Arthur Adams.

Of the stories, my favorites were "Secret Crisis on Ultimate Earth", "Snowman Slaughter", and "Jack Champion." "Secret Crisis" is a great parody piece and the other two are great introductory stories that I would love to read more of.

GIANT-SIZE KUNG FU BIBLE STORIES isn't for everyone. However, it is a nice comical collection for anyone who enjoys reading comic books.