Comic Book Journal

I have to start by apologizing to Steve Niles, last week I did incorrectly site him as the author of the Marvel Knights revamp of Frank Castle, the Punisher. The title I was referring to was the Punisher:Purgatory and it was written by fan favorite, Christopher Golden, and drawn by Bernie Wrightson. As you know he is one of my favorite artists, which was more than likely the reason I picked up the book to start with. So I do extend my apologies to Steve Niles. I was correct on Steve’s ability to write a great horror comic though, so for all of you not paying attention the first time, here’s the link to my review of Simon Dark:http://www.comicbookjournal.net/simon-dark-5/.
It’s good stuff! Now, as a blogger, I confess I don’t have a spell checker, grammar checker, fact checker, or even an entourage. So comments like this are always appreciated and if I mess up or if you have any questions or comments please feel free to share. Like I said last week, I always read every comment, even if I don’t respond. So about that entourage any volunteers….
If you enjoy reading comic book journal and wants to continue to see it grow show some support and use Smilebox to put a little more animation in your blogs and emails. It’s easy to use and fun to share. Blog your photos & videos using Smilebox“>Smilebox
.

Stay tuned for more reviews!

Today we’re gonna have a little history lesson. If you think that independent publishers and imprints exists today in the comic book marketplace, you’re sadly mistaken. I took a look at an odd find I discovered. In reviewing Uncle Scrooge #181, which is definitely retro, I was amazed at the level of quality and care that was placed into the issue. The art was fantastic, despite being a little primitive and the colors definitely popped. The writing wasn’t bad either and the main story in the issue was plotted well. You see, Uncle Scrooge is set to loose his entire fortune (as always) if he does not find a case of horseradish buried in the depths of the sea and deliver it to Jamaica. He, of course, must dodge the devious plot of rival McSue to find the booty before he does. Chaos ensures, but ultimately Uncle Scrooge is successful thanks to his handy nephews, Huey, Dewey, and who could forget, Luey.

Now as a book for children this was not bad reading material. I would actually recommend back issues of the title for children in elementary school, or children trying to learn to read. So on a review basis I’d give the title a five out of ten. But it goes deeper than this

For those of you who may not know, and as I learned Whitman Comics was only an alternate distributing company for Gold Key Comics who was an imprint of the original Western Comics imprint. All properties were eventually engulfed by DC. The original titles, however, were impressive and could use a read even today. Whitman’s books included such titles as:

Battle of the Planets
The Beagle Boys Vs. Uncle Scrooge
The Black Hole
Buck Rogers
Bugs Bunny
Daffy Duck
Daisy and Donald
Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom
Flash Gordon
Grimm’s Ghost Stories
Huey, Dewey, and Louie
Little Lulu
Mickey Mouse
The Pink Panther and the Inspector
Porky Pig
Turok, Son of Stone
Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories
Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny.

These are considered classics and still cherished by many adults and are a throwback to simpler times of the silver age. So if you’re at a convention, and keep in mind convention season will be in full swing soon, stop by the quarter bin and you’re sure to find a handful of these. If you’re feeling generous, pass them out to the local schools and libraries in an effort to promote not only the comic book market, but literacy in general. So that’s my public service announcement for today.

Also if you know anyone who loves all the classic Disney characters, and who doesn’t know Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and the rest of the crew, have them check out the Disney Movie Club. Below are links to check out all the great benefits the club has to offer.

http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-2191506-10511469
Get 3 Disney Movies for $1.99 Each, Plus Free Shipping! Join Now!“>Get 3 Disney Movies for $1.99 Each, Plus Free Shipping! Join Now!

Also for all who have commented–Yes, I do read the comments and I appreciate any feedback you have to give. Often, I may not take time to respond to each one personally, but I assure you they are all read! Have a webzine or e-comic you want reviewed? If so send me a comment or e-mail at Velma92181@yahoo.com and I’ll do my best to get it out to the world wide web. That is, unless you scared of what I think. Until tomorrow, all will remain quiet on the Western front.

Miles Millar and Alfred Gough, creators and executive producers of Smallville, have announced they will be leaving the series at the end of this current season. With that shocking and somewhat sad news, it leaves me pondering what (if any?) direction the show will take. With that said I used to watch Smallville every time it came on, but as the seasons came and went the show just became harder and harder for me to like. Sure it has a perfect cast, but after Jonathon Kent’s death, the stories took a darker turn and for me it just wasn’t as fun as it used to be. That and I’ve missed about two seasons worth of storylines now.

In terms of storyline and plot I think I liked the light-hearted tone and the creepy factor in the first and second seasons the best where no one knew Clark’s secrets and practically everyone in Smallville as part of the freak fest after the meteor shower hit. I’m not saying that I dislike the show, because it is far better than most common fare on television today, all I’m saying is that it now lacks some of the magic and energy it had in the first three seasons. So now that Millar and Gough are departing, my bet is most of the original cast (who should almost be finished with their contract now) will part ways with the series as well. So will there be Smallville season eight? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. So until the end of the this season if you’re bored with television and want to check out what Superman is doing on the pages of the actual comic I recommend you check out All-Star Superman, as it is better than I’ve seen Superman done in the past three years. For a full review check out http://www.comicbookjournal.net/all-star-superman-10/.