Today in Comics History: Rob Liefeld proves he cannot draw bootleg Bart Simpson

Panels from New Mutants (1983 series) #98 (February 1991); plot, pencils, and inks by Rob Liefeld, script by Fabian Nicieza, colors by Steve Buccellato, letters by Joe Rosen

A Month of... Pancakes! Day 20: Wake up Maggie I think I got pancakes to feed to you

An issue of Bart Simpson, a comic that usually features the antis of America's favorite li'l mischief maker (sorry, Dennis the Menace), occasionally takes some time-outs to spotlight other members of the Simpson clan, like this short story featuring baby Maggie, the infant savant of the cast. And whaddaya know, it's about pancakes!


Panels from "Maggie's Pancakes" in Bart Simpson #81 (March 2013); script, pencils, and inks by Carol Lay, colors by Art Villanueva, letters by Karen Bates
I kinda wish I could reprint the entire short story here, because it's a phantasmagorical psychedelic wonderland of Maggie's imagination, inspired by the circle shape of her pancakes. Here's a few choice panels.



So, pancakes, won't you? They're not only a part of this complete breakfast, they're also a springboard to adventure and excitement!

Paper Doll Month, Day 24: Dress my shorts

Paper doll back cover from Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #1 (October 1995), artist unknown

Bear Attack! Month, Day 27: Only you

Panels from Bart Simpson #74 (August 2012), script by Mary Trainor, pencils by John Costanza, inks by Phyllis Novin, colors by Nathan Hamill, letters by Karen Bates

Today in Comics History: Principal Skinner gets jealous

Panel from "The Great Springfield Gold Rush" in Bart Simpson Comics #68 (February 2012), script by Paul Kupperberg, pencils by Phil Ortiz, inks by Mike DeCarlo, colors by Nathan Hamill, letters by Karen Bates

Today in Comics History: Everything's coming up Milhouse!

Panel from "Wedgie Issue" in Bart Simpson #72 (June 2012), script, pencils and inks by Carol Lay; colors by Nathan Hamill; letters by Karen Bates

Monday Night Murals: I'm not uptight, not unattractive

Hey, kids, tonight: Meet Radioactive Man!:



No, no, no, not that Radioactive Man. I'm talking about the Bongo Universe's premier superhero, the idol of millions, and Bart Simpson. Yes, it's Radioactive Man! When millionaire socialite Claude Kane III is caught in a mega-bomb explosion, his head is pierced by a radioactive shard of lightning-bolt-shaped metal, which gives him strange, marvelous powers beyond that of mortal men! Nuclear powers! And we all know how safe those are, don't we, Mister Burns?

Also, he's a comic book character. Which means, of course...he's the focus of tonight's mural, a triptych made up of three different series of Bongo Comics, a summer 2009 crossover event that meant we had to buy all three comics or risk not completing the story...or the mural! Pretty sneaky, Matt Groening!

Covers of Simpsons Comics #155, Bart Simpson #48, and Simpsons Super Spectacular #9 (June 2009), art by Bill Morrison, Jason Ho and Mike Rote
Click image to Jeff Albertson-size

Looks like a lot of the super-hero lovin' population of Springfield, USA turned out for the Radioactive Man event, huh? Also, I dare you to look at this and not hum to yourself "The Sim...psons... (dah dah dah dah dah...)"

The Return of the Prodigal Reviews

I think it's been 'bout sixty-leven months since I last did a batch of weekly reviews. Tight finances and scheduling've prevented me from buying a large stack of comic books since the beginning of the year, but don't think I've fallen out of love with the form—comics books and I are still very affectionate to each other and I know I always have a date for the prom with comics, even though sometimes she'll kick me in the face and roar away laughing maniacally, declaring she's the g---d---ed Batman. It's been a busy and hectic and weird week, however, so what better way to give my little stuffed self a treat than to make a list, check it twice, and head on over to Midtown Comics at my lunch hour for delicious deep-fried floppy comic books? It was good for what ailed me, because whodathunkit?—every single one of 'em I picked up this week was fun. Let's get down...and back...to it, shall we?


THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST #8: This comic is fun. I was never a big fan of DC's obsession with legacy heroes until James Robinson's Starman, which I don't think gets the credit it should for revitalizing and energizing the legacy hero emphasis that has made JSA a fan favorite. It influenced the line (and made fictionopolises (fictionopoli?) cool again with the wonderfully drawn Opal City). You can't swing a Wildcat in the DC Universe without hittin' a legacy hero these days, but as comics world with a later origin, the Marvel Universe has always remained staunchly first-gen in its heroes. Sure, there's a few Marvel exceptions: crazy 1950s commie-basher Captain America IV, the cheerfully optimistically seventies-styled alternate future of Spider-Girl and her Amazing Friends—but for the most part the heroes of the MU are the ones and only. Brubaker and Fraction's quirky and elegant Immortal Iron Fist therefore brings a new twist to seventies kung-fu kicker: he's discovered that he's merely the latest in a long line of Iron Fists. This is a dandy plot development that opens all sorts of story potential of Iron Fists throughout the ages; there's already been a nifty flashback issue last month in the vein of Starman's "Times Past." Issue #8 starts a new storyline that's an updated twist on the original Iron Fist's seventies style: as that series was influenced by the Bruce Lee and other martial arts movies of its time, this series is reminiscent of the mystic and detailed (yet still ass-kicking) contemporary Asian movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers, The Promise, Hero and even the frenetic energy of Kung Fu Hustle. Worried about jumping on board a book eight months into its run? Don't, because there's a great recap page at the beginning. This is only the first part of a multi-issue story, and if you read it closely enough you could argue that not a lot of action happens yet, but it's stuffed full of characters, a developing mystery and a great last-panel hook for the rest of the story: a "final four"-type ranking board showing the match-ups for the next several issues' martial arts fights. It's an extended story and yes, this is decompression—but there's a lot of narrative and story in this opening issue, and I'm hooked for the rest. (Incidentally, I started picking this title up because of all the love being shown for it in the blogosphere, which only goes to show: you guys have influence! Over a little stuffed bull, but it's a start.)


SUPERMAN #999: This comic is fun. Well, here we are with Superman #999. Wow, how time flies! We're only one issue away from big landmark issue #1000, and DC is really...

Wait. I'm holding the comic upside down.


SUPERMAN #666: This comic is fun. I love Superman, you betcha. I love Walt Simonson—even before Thor, I was diggin' his portrayal of Starbuck (the guy one) in the 1980s Marvel Battlestar Galactica comic. And hoo boy, do I adore the expressive and distinctive letting of John Workman. Also, I love Satan love stories about demonic possession and the limits to which heroes can be driven. This is a cleverly-written and beautifully-drawn done-in-one comic that still doesn't sacrifice continuity from the monthly Superman books...I'm not reading those and I could recognize references to current events, but they're all so quick that you don't need to be reading the book every month to pick up this...and you really should pick this up, because it puts every other "Superman cuts loose" story to shame as our boy Kal gives into his dark side (no pun intended). There's some great and gruesome fight sequences, an honestly chilling series of deaths that even though we know won't "stick" still don't feel like cop-outs, a great "why has no one ever thought of that" idea for a villain from a dead world's hell, and an eleventh-hour twist that proves Supes is and will always be a step ahead of the baddies. And oh, that gorgeous Simonson art. Some get Simonson and Workman back on a regular, or even semi-regular book, please. (How about giving them All Star Superman after Grant Morrison's run?)


BATMAN #668: This comic is fun. I enjoyed Superman #666 more than the couple-months-ago Batman #666, but the current "Club of Heroes" trilogy, of which this is Part 2, is sheer and joyous fun of a sort we've not seen in the Dark Knight's world in ages. Like he does in All Star Superman, Grant Morrison aptly demonstrates that the silliness and whimsy of the 1950s DCU can be smoothly integrated into the twenty-first century without sacrificing the modern sensibilities of the title characters. In this case it's a reverent sequel of sorts to the "Batmen of All Nations" story in Detective Comics #215 (1955), crossed with Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None: years after they banded together, a league of gentleman adventurers inspired by Batman are called to a remote island, only to be stalked and murdered one by one. Lucky for them, Batman and Robin are along for the adventure. Morrison continues his post-Infinite Crisis revamp of Batman, and I've said it before but I can't help still mentioning it with respect and awe: this Batman captures the best of all worlds. He's tough and mysterious and definitely the hardest man in the world to beat, he's always thinking several steps ahead and he has a plan in mind for nearly every eventuality...but he's at last a likeable hero. He treats Robin as an equal (rightfully so: Robin does some solid detective work in this issue); he gives respect and kudos to the work and skills of the Club of Heroes, and while he's definitely the star of the magazine, he's a much better team player than he has been in years. That's a Batman I love to read about. J. H. Williams's art is wonderfully expressive and moody; there's a lovely retro section at the beginning that reproduces the feel of a 1950s comic (complete with age-yellowing margins and artwork bleeding through the pages), and there's several innovative pages that use large bat-figures or Batman's glove as panel borders. All that plus The Best Line of the Week: "You've never been mind-controlled by a gorilla?" Again, this is a "to be continued" issue, but there's so much in here—not crammed, but elegantly and intricately paced—that I'm chomping on the Bat-bit for the next issue's conclusion.

As an aside, I should take off points for that awful, creepy, disturbing MAD magazine/Ball Park Franks advertising insert, partly because the idea of MAD positioning itself as an advertising skill goes against everything the MAD of yesteryear taught us, but mostly because the general motif...a massively-muscled "third arm" emerging from the lower belly...is close to suggestively obscene. Yes, even in Sergio Aragonés's cartoons in the center section. But, hey! I discovered you can tear this section out and throw it away with no effect on the rest of the comic. I heartily recommend you do the same.


THE SPIRIT #9: This comic is fun. Man, I'm gonna miss Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone when they leave this comic in a couple months. Until then, as Mama Bull useta tell me, "enjoy what you've got while you've got it." This one's worth enjoying—a creepy and violent face-off between the Spirit and El Morte, a dark mirror of Denny Colt who didn't emerge from the grave lookin' as handsome and brawny. Cooke's artwork is wonderfully done: each page is beautifully designed and colored; there's some really lovely lighting effects, and a flashback sequence uses a scratchier, suitably-hallucinogenic art style. I at first was alarmed at the high level of narration in the first couple pages straight from the Spirit's brain to the panels; I was even ready to dock it a couple points for "telling, not showing." Read the whole comic, however, and you realize how much this is a story about characters telling the story; how perceptions and events are influenced by and change with the POV of the ever-changing narrator characters. It's not a Rashomon approach, but it's suitably effective, and Cooke even uses it to wonderful effect to get inside Ebony's brain and take a peek at his love life. Like all the best Eisner stories, the Spirit takes a heck of a beating in this one. Even Dolan doesn't escape without a scratch. Like other books I enjoyed this week, that final page just shouts "to be continued" (even though it says "The End".) This isn't the finest of the Cooke/Bone Spirit issues that have come out so far, but even the least of them is a thing of a wonder and a beauty to behold.


BART SIMPSON #37: This comic is fun. If I had such a category (and it wouldn't be a bad one to judge weekly comics by), this one would be awarded Pleasant Surprise of the Week. Not that I don't enjoy Bart's comic; quite the reverse! I think I've very seldom given this title, or indeed most anything from Bongo, anything less than an unqualified fun rating. But Bart always has seemed to have been designed to skew to a younger reading audience than Simpsons Comics, less an imitation of the show's epic and detailed lengthy stories, more short gag or adventure stories, usually two or three per issue. This issue throws those expectations out like Moe hustling a broke Barney out of the bar, however—it's a full-length done-in-one story with a great gimmick: evil scientist Doctor Colossus strikes back at Springfield by turning every resident ten years old. For Lisa and Maggie, that's a definite plus. For Homer, Marge, and the rest of our yellow crew, it's a step back to childhood. For Bart himself, there's no change whatsoever, and he can't understand why everyone is not ecstatically happy to be the best age on earth. While it's a more fantastic story that wouldn't quite fit in on The Simpsons TV show or even in the regular Simpsons comic (Bartman as a superhero has always been considered pretty "non-canon"), it's still got the quirky energy and fast-paced roller-coaster feel of a decent episode, complete with running gags and some very in-character reactions to their new ages (Homer isn't old enough to enjoy the taste of beer, Lenny finds that it's only slightly more difficult to gamble online). There's even a very TV-esque joke at the end about what Maggie's voice must have sounded like (even tho' we never saw her speak on page). Plus...and how could you not love it for this...a guest appearance by Brad Garrett!


X-MEN: FIRST CLASS #3: This comic is fun. I've made no secret of my love for Jeff Parker's reimagining of the original X-Men, the five mutants who got me interested in Marvel Comics in the first place. Parker's approach is exactly what I like to see in "flashback" implants like this: the idea that continuity does not need to fit perfectly with every issue and reference that has gone before, but rather that's what's important is the concept: five super-powered teens and their mentor protecting a world that is sworn to destroy them. At the heart of it, that concept is all the continuity you need. It's a wonderful book, issue after issue, full of genuinely funny humor, plots that aren't telegraphed pages before the revelation, kid heroes who are actually smart and savvy enough to work out the mysteries before them, and—my favorite part—the idea (in almost every issue) that just because something attacks you, it doesn't necessarily mean you must attack it back. X-Men: First Class returns to this theme several times through its original miniseries, special, and now the ongoing book. Reminiscent of Star Trek's "The Devil in the Dark," it's an admirable approach that fits in with Professor Xavier's "live in peace with humanity" ethos and yet still doesn't skimp on action or fight scenes. In this issue, for example, there's some great Monster Island sequences, culminating in the kids not punching out or knocking apart a giant monster, but instead using him as a ride towards their goal. And what a monster: a beautifully big pudgy frog-eyed guy who looks like a cross between a Totoro and one of David Horvath's Uglydolls. Notice I said "kids" above. Yes, for the first time in ages the X-Men read like real teenagers, with humorous asides and an easy, friendly camaraderie, but not lumbered with fast-out-of-date slang. (Do I have a complaint? A mere one: that the frenetic and action-packed Roger Cruz pin-up inside the book shoulda been the cover.)

And oh yes. The best thing about it all? The Marvel Girl backup. I. LOVE. Colleen Coover's artwork. Like Roger Cruz, she draws teenagers who look like teenagers:


You can sum up the story in a single sentence: Marvel Girl and Scarlet Witch hang out together and thwart a robbery. But that doesn't come close to the sheer joy and giggles I got from this short story with wonderful details like a shopping trip because Wanda doesn't have any civilian clothes. Quicksilver is a pest. Warren has so much money he doesn't know what to do with it. Wanda talks with an Eastern European accent—I don't think anyone's ever done that with her, and it makes perfect sense! (There's even a lovely, almost Natasha Fatale element to her speech before Marvel Girl admits she might be coloring the accent towards mysterious.) It's only four pages, but by golly, I'd pay the whole three clams for those four pages alone. There's a glee and exuberance in this that's missing from much of the Marvel Universe, highlighted by Jeff Parker's apt and funny script and Colleen's fluid and expressive artwork. Can you tell I simply loved this?


To paraphrase SW and MG: Can superhero comics really be this fun? They can be. Jeff and Colleen's wonderful whimsical back-up lifts X-MEN: FIRST CLASS #3, in a week of some tough and talented competition, from "merely" a tremendously fun book to the most fun comic of the week! Heck, now I want a regular MG book by Jeff and Colleen! (Write to Marvel and tell them "More, please!")

Johnny Unitas, P.I., does not appear in these reviews

Greetings, Bully-backers! I spent the weekend in lovely snowy Syracuse, New York, where I'm certain there must be a comic book shop but I didn't get a chance to look it up. Instead, I had this entertaining and surreal pop-culture conversation with family member Tom:

TOM: Who's that football player...turned actor, had a detective series in the eighties?
ME: Do you remember anything more about the series?
TOM: No.
ME: Ummmm...Johnny Unitas, P.I.?
TOM: No.
ME: Okay. But I would so watch a show called Johnny Unitas, P.I.

(For the record, it was Fred Dryer as Hunter.)

That's why I didn't get a chance to get last week's comics until today. That's why I didn't review 'em until tonight. Thanks for being so patient!


BART SIMPSON #34: This comic is fun. Bart Simpson oughta be the perfect gateway comic, ideal for introducing fans of the TV show to the medium of comics. Sometimes, however, I'm not certain if the younger audience that Bart seems to be pitched for exists: by the time you're a Simpsons fan, you'll probably prefer the lengthier or more detailed stories in the main comic. That said, Bart provides a good genial monthly dose of giggles, and its three short stories this time bridge the TV and comics market cleverly with plots that might be right at home on Fox: Mrs. Krabappel comes to live with the Simpsons, Willie's secret past as a pop star is revealed (with some dandy Beatles in-jokes), and Homer and Bart battle to create a winning entry in a Krustyburger contest. It's not groundbreaking comics, but by golly, it brings a smile to your face.


JUSTICE #10: This comic is fun. Y'know, I've read enough enthusiastic reviews of Justice, Alex Ross's glossy painted reinvention of Super Friends, to make this book, even so close to its end, this week's entry in my ongoing quest to Pick Up One New Comic Title I Haven't Been Reading. (And no, it wasn't that ultra-green cover which woulda been right at home in yesterday's "Ten of a Kind.") I'm not a massive fan of Ross's painted pin-up covers, but his continuity artwork is dynamic and expressive, and even in a story where most of the Justice League is wearing protective armor, the action is clear and detailed. Sure, I'm coming in two chapters from the end, but it was easy to pick up on the primal action: some villains are doin' bad stuff and the heroes are charging in to stop them. There's a dandy Green Arrow switcharoo in the last couple pages and the story is jam-packed with enough DC Universe characters that this is actually much more entertaining than the sluggish new Justice League of America. I'll be picking up the trade(s) on this series; it's a lovingly-done adventure overshadowed by some of DC's more heavily-promoted "event" comics, and I'm glad I caught it before it ended.


52 WEEK 43: This comic is not fun. Well, I do believe this is the first issue of 52 that actively exasperated me. A pointless fight scene between the Marvels and the Black Marvels (and is Captain Marvel crazy, or not?), followed by the continuing galactic adventures of Animal Man (and I'm not buying that he can reach galactic distances to gain the powers of a Sun-Eater), and finally, a gore-filled shock twist that disappointed me tremendously: not because of the turn of a character I liked (I'm fast learning that 52 loves to pull the rug out from under me) but that it was portrayed with such gruesome violence it actually turns the panels blood-red. It would have been a chilling and compelling twist if it had been hinted at instead of splattered across the page—suggestion is always more powerful than in-your-face gore, guys. Oh well. This close to the end I certainly won't let a disappointing issue put me off, but it's a definite break from a series that has had forty-two issues in a row that have delighted me.


ETERNALS #7: This comic is sorta fun. Huh. That's it? Neil Gaiman's reimagining of Jack Kirby's big and boisterous cosmic heroes wraps up, and I s'pose I should go back and re-read the whole thing in one sitting, but despite being better than many modernizations of the King, it eventually turned into a fairly pedestrian superhero tale where I expected much more from Gaiman. When I look a little more closely I see the Gaiman touches: a lovely little mundane first-page scene with Midwest tourists contemplating a giant golden Celestial, and a very Sandmanesque final fate of Sprite, but there's still too much of Civil War shoehorned into this for no apparent reason, and I was more interested in flipping quickly to the end than savoring the story. Like Nextwave and Agents of Atlas, it's a miniseries that ends with a definite conclusion but also a "the adventure is only beginning" vibe. But it's telling that out of those three series, Eternals is the one I'm least interested in reading further adventures.


HEROES FOR HIRE #7: This comic is fun. It's pretty telling that a fairly straightforward but still playfully fun comic like Heroes for Hire makes my pull list in an age of "event" comics: I don't apologize for enjoying the series as much as I do, but but I can't imagine this series is gonna be around long, which is a pity: it's a solid and fun adventure comic firmly utilizing some of the b-listers of the Marvel Universe (both heroes and villains), but like The Thing, it's not getting a strong buying audience. Pity. If you're passing this up because it looks like a cheesy T&A book...well, it is that, a little, but it's done with such a light touch it's forgivable. And hey, looks like the HfH might be heading to Latveria in the next issue or so! I'm so totally on board for that, and if Misty speaks the immortal line "Where's my money, honey?" then I'll be in fanbull heaven. Until then we have to settle for The Best Line of the Week: "Do not sing Blue Öyster Cult Songs." For its spirit of the seventies and its refusal to take itself too seriously—and for blowin' up stuff real good: HEROES FOR HIRE #7 is the most fun comic of the week.

Catchin' up with comics

And...I'm back. Hope you didn't miss me too much! The week's holiday from blogging was just what I needed to mentally catch up after a busy busy December—I loved blogging in London, but each night in the hotel was spent tap-tap-tapping away capturing the adventure of the day, just to keep up. A few fill-in-the-blanks posts aside, I managed to keep myself from falling more than a day behind (as opposed to 2005 where it took me almost a year after my London holiday to finish transcribing my scribbed hoofwritten notes into the blog), but the lesson I learned is blogging is a harsh and demanding mistress. (Even tho' I'm too young to know what a mistress is.) At various times on my holiday I thought "Well, I won't blog daily next London trip"...and "But I like keeping such a timely souvenir of my adventures!" I did notice my daily readership drop down to less than half of its usual velocity, although that may have been a factor of a Christmas week. In any case, next time I go to London, who knows? But I'm back, and this little bull is rested and ready to talk about comic books again.

Oh yes, comic books! I'm sure some of you have asked (go on, say it aloud) "When's he gonna get back to blogging about comics?" A: Right now, because I'm got a stack of three week's worth of comic books to review, all the comics I didn't buy when I was in London purchased this past week in one fell swoop at Jim Hanley's, and to stay on schedule I'll review 'em all, but swiftly, in a pithy sentence or two each (and minus the time-consuming jpegs for this week only):

52 WEEKS 33-35: These comics are fun. 52 heads into its home stretch and continues storylines that make me wonder: will they ever intersect towards the end? Dandy cliff-hanger in #34 leads into pure Luthor bwah-ha-ha evil in #35, and reading three of these at once really keeps the pace rolling. I plan to read all 52 issues in one marathon sitting when the series is done; three-in-a-row suggests to me they might make more sense and have more forward movement that way. Still, week after week a fun ride.

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #29: This comic is fun...sorta. A story basically focusing on what a jerk B'wana Beast is. Another one of those too-often "JLU member learns a valuable lesson at the end" stories. Still the best Justice League comic out there, though.

FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #15: This comic is fun. Take it from this little stuffed bull who works in book publishing: the book-signing scenes in this comic are actually pretty accurate. Well, except for the supervillain attacks, but I'm told that does happen at some Janet Evanovich signings.

BART SIMPSON #33: This comic is fun...sorta. Bart generally seems to be written for a younger audience than Simpsons Comics, but this issue feels like it skews even younger. Entertaining and funny stories but very little of the subversive element than sets Simpsons comics ahead of the crowd. Great iconic cover, though.

SIMPSONS COMICS #125: This comic is fun...sorta. Short stories feel like inventory comics leftover from Bart Simpson. A funny and clever Bart-meets-Cletus comedy in the first story, but the two remaining stories (by Tom Peyer and Chuck Dixon) seem flat and just not my cup of tea. Still the most consistently fun comic I buy, but just a slight dip in the ha-ha level this issue.

HEROES FOR HIRE #5: This comic is fun. Fast-moving action comic that doesn't take itself (or its Civil War tie-in elements) too seriously. I'm very interested to see if the pace (and humorous patter) can be sustained.

SUPERMAN CONFIDENTIAL #3: This comic is fun. Suffers a bit from mid-storyline lag: this always seems to hit around issue 3 or 4 of a contemporary storyline, doesn't it? But great cliffhanger and wonderful scenes of, as I've said before, my favorite element of the Superman mythos: the Lois/Clark/Superman triangle.

NEXTWAVE #11: This comic is fun. "Fun" doesn't quite do it justice, does it? It's like a Brueghel painting mixed with a Where's Waldo book—half the comic is double-page spreads as Nextwave battles their way to the completely insane Dirk Anger...never have I wanted original comic art so much! Buy two copies and paste one together, coz it all fits together end-to-end, like the Bayeux Tapesty. Except with Elvis M.O.D.O.K.s and rampaging Elanis.

ALL STAR SUPERMAN #6: This comic is fun. Still the most beautifully subtle Superman comic currently being published. It's not short on action but there are iconic scenes in here and other issues in this series that I think will be remembered and referenced for years to come: the appearance of Krypto in this issue is one of 'em. Definite proof to all nay-sayers that you can still pay homage to the history and continuity of Superman and yet write an original and touching story. This definitely have been the most fun comic in a week that didn't include...

GUMBY #2: This comic is fun. 34 ad-free pages of beautifully-colored quirky and elegant Rick Geary art and Bob Burden's signature weirdness and whimsy ad up to the perfect comic mix. If you didn't pick this up because you don't read "kid's comics," you're missing out on one of the most imaginative illustrated works of 2006. It also features The Best Line of the Week which must be seen rather than just reported:



That's why GUMBY #2 is the most fun comic of the week and one of the most fun comics of the year.

"Most fun comics of the year"? you ask. "What are those?" (Tune in tomorrow Thursday or Friday, fun fans!)

In the meantime, I hereby declare it Comic Book Reviewing Amnesty Day. I take a deep gulp as I peer up at the huge pile of comic books I bought but never got a chance to review weekly in 2006, a stack taller than me:



I've kept this stack of 2006 comics sittin' on my coffee table vowing to, even at a late date, to review 'em. Pish-posh to that now, I say: it's a new year with new comics and I must look forward and not backward. (Um, except for my post tomorrow.) I can barely attack those books now, even with my little mountain-climbing gear. So I will box them or shelve them and move onwards, looking ever-forward into our brand-spankin' near-mint all-new all-different Uncanny New Year. And to go along with that, what fits better than some lovely New Year's Resolutions? So here is your Comics Oughta Be Fun Semi-Solemn Cow-Vows for In 2007:

• Although my budget means I'll be trying to buy fewer comics this year, I will still buy 'em weekly.
• Despite cutting down some titles I'm not getting a full fun-quotient out of, I still want to have a variety of titles, so once again I'll do my best to Pick Up One New Comic Title Each Week That I Haven't Been Reading.
• I will do my best to review each week's comics within the week I buy 'em. However, if I start building up a backlog of unreviewed comics, I'm not gonna worry about it and build up another huge stack. Life goes on and there will be more next week, so if you don't see comics reviews every week, don't panic. Like a London bus, there'll be another one along in just a little while.
• I still ain't readin' Civil War.

Also, I vow to pick up after myself, do my chores, not eat so much candy, and to be nicer to my little sister. May you have a wonderful 2007 and best of luck with your New Year's resolutions. As always, enjoy your comics, and remember this: they oughta be fun!

If you don't buy at least three of these comics, you are the one killing the industry.

RUNAWAYS #17: This comic is fun! Twists, turns, returned teammates, doubted loyalties, exploding summer homes, and a terribly, terribly frightening cliffhanger that threatens the future of my favorite Runaway...is this comic the soap opera of the Marvel Universe or what? When I say that, that's a good thing—Runaways consistently and continuously blends a solid mix of action, humor, realistic kid dialogue and teen angst. It is, in many ways, the perfect example of a "gateway" comic: appealing young characters, a kids-versus-adults plot, danger, humor and love that would be the perfect first comic for young adults and teens to be introduced to the world of superhero comics. Why isn't Marvel actively marketing it to that target market more heavily? Why isn't this comic selling a hundred thousand a month? Why must I lament every month that this comic, great as it is, is Marvel's biggest missed opportunity since their failure to promote Ultimate Spider-Man to a school-age audience? All of it adds up to a comic that's good enough to eat! (Warning: do not actually eat comic.)


BART SIMPSON #30: This comic is fun. You've got to love a comic whose cover riffs on Yellow Submarine (even though there's no corresponding story inside!) As usual, Bongo fills this comic with multiple (three) stories for a cavalcade anthology of fun and and impudence to authority. The first, and standout story, appealed to be the most: everyone in Springfield gets hooked on reading the Harry Potter Larry Snotter books, and Bart must put an end to the reading frenzy to save his favorite entertainment medium, television! It's a story that's a little out of date—it would have been more pointed and popular two or three years ago when the last Potter book came out—but that's a delay easily forgiven not only because the Simpsons weather topical references well but also because, as I'm a little stuffed bull working in the publishing industry, I especially enjoyed the jokes about books! It even gives us The Best Line of the Week: "Can we go to the bookstore, Dad?" "Not until you finish your television!" So, in the words of Krusty the Klown, "Give a hoot! Read a book!" Or even Bart Simpson #30!


X-FACTOR #8: This comic is fun. Or, as I like to call it, it's Quicksilver-ific! Back in the original X-Factor, Peter David wrote one of the best characterizations of the Fastest Man Alive (in the Marvel Universe), so it's a treat to see him return to writing Pietro if only as a guest-star. The cover shouts at us that it's a Civil War tie-in, but this story (which really should have been titled "Waiting for Pietro") is really one more in the never-ending "House of M" epilogues as the mystery of M-Day deepens. Even in the midst of tossing off patented PAD glib one-liners, X-Factor continues to doubt the "official" mystery of the loss of mutants' powers. I think they are abs'lutely right to be suspicious of Cyclops and what he's not telling us? You should never trust a guy when you can't see the reds of his eyes. Plus a Spider-Man appearance, Siryn gets ready to rumble with Wolverine, and Doctor Malcolm Modern! All this and Jamie Madrox: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.*! Next issue, an appearance by the Astonishing X-Men. Ehhh. Let's hope Peter David doesn't get fed up with the crossovers this time and leave just when this comic is becoming indispensable.


52 WEEK 8: This comic is fun...sorta. Last week's first stumble in the weekly maxiseries continues this ish with a handful of plot devices that chug the story along but which are fairly unbelievable, contrived, and unconvincing—a rough spot in the natural and realistic progression 52 has taken in its first couple months. I'm still not buying the double-dealing of Booster Gold: adding to his public downfall last week Booster threatens, trash-talks, and just generally hands out tickets for the wolf to Clark Kent. Um, Booster, you don't spit into the wind, you don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger, and you don't tug on the journalistic abilities of Clark Kent. More serious is the labored set-up of miscommunication between John Henry Irons and Natasha—so clichéd that the whole plot depends on them not talking and communicating their difficulties, but it's done in such a heavy-handed way that it might as well be an episode of Three's Company. And am I dreaming, or is Star Brand now a DC Universe character? I'm just confused and a little disappointed by this issue, and hope it'll pick up a bit in week nine.


BRAVE NEW WORLD: This comic is crunchy, cheesy, cheap and delicious. I could spend a lot of time dissecting this dollar comic which is basic'ly an advertisement for six forthcoming DC Universe superheroes titles all wrapped up in a framing sequence that gives us the return of a popular DC character from the mid-eighties, but let me use this anal'gy, okay? Brave New World is Taco Bell's Crunchwrap Supreme in comic book form. Have I lost you with my clever anal'gy? Consider this: six savory and tasty ingredients in a deep fried crunchy wraparound shell. Sure, some people don't care much for tomatoes or nacho cheese or the Martian Manhunter, but it's cheap and filling and even if you forget that you ate or read it an hour later at least Blue Beetle didn't get his brains blown out in detail at the end. (Warning: Blue Beetle reference does not apply to Crunchwrap Supreme.) I liked and will check out the Atom and Martian Manhunter series, had no real interest in OMAC or The Creeper, am interested enough in Shazam to peek at the series, and was freaked out enough by plastic-looking new Phantom Lady to avoid the Uncle Sam series by a wide margin. Sure, it's an advertisement-slash-junk food. But it only costs a buck and it's 80 pages. That's a Silver Age-style bargain if I ever heard one. Taco sauce is not included.


NEXTWAVE #6: This comic is fun. It's just basically one big long fight scene with kicks and explosions and force beams and face slams with shovels, without much dialogue but heavy on the homicide crabs. And there's nothing wrong with that! It's over the top and anarchic and juvenile and oh-so-fun. You can't blame me for giggling like a loon reading Nextwave, and if you are not picking up this book, then the terrorists win.


SERGIO ARAGONÈS: SOLO: This comic is fun. MAD's manic Mexican master takes the Solo spotlight in this soon-to-be-captured sequel and gives us not only the most fun comic of the week but which will surely be on my year-end list of The Most Fun Comics of 2006! Really. I'm scolding you for not picking up Runaways and Nextwave, but if you didn't buy, read, and love Solo this week, turn in your comics fan badge: you're not allowed to read comics anymore! Brave New World may be 100 pages for a dollar, but Solo (48 pages for $4.99) is more comics enjoyment per page than any comics published this week. Or month. I'm especially fond of Sergio's confessional "I Killed Marty Feldman," but every story is a delight— gag stories, a twist-ending western, a samurai epic, a lesson in how victors write history, an autobiographical saga of Sergio's job search in New York, and one of the most entertaining Batman stories I've read this year: you've got to love a Batman villain called the Plumber whose henchmen have their pants tugged down their butts. Haw! Haw! Haw! This one goes on the shelf where I can get at it when I want it, not tucked away in the longbox. And that, fun comics fans, is the highest praise I can give a comic: I will want to read it again and again.



*Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage and Logistics Directorate.

Five, seven, then five/I review comics like that/Once more, with feeling

I liked when I did
Comic reviews in haiku
Let's do it again.

Here's some comic books
I bought at Gosh! in London
Comics are fun there.

X-FACTOR #1-2:

I like P.A.D.
I didn't read House of M
But I like this lots.

Characters I like
Are treated seriously
But they still are fun.


SHE-HULK #3:

Wow! Giant issue!
One hundred fun-packed pages.
New tales and reprints!

Could be a classic
But I loathe those front covers.
Jeez. Greg Horn scares me.


BART SIMPSON #27:

Don't have a cow, man.
Cowabunga! Eat my shorts!
And other Bart things.

Again and again
Bongo puts out (like this one)
A most fun comic.

Slow day at the comics corral.

Hi hi hi! It's a cold and windy day here in Manhattan. Going to the comic book store on Wednesday always helps warm my fuzzy little stuffed heart, tho'!

Today I didn't buy much. There weren't that many new comics out that caught my eye. Ever have one of those weeks? Yep, I realize that in these new-fangled days, if you're not buying Infinite Crisis (and its crossover books) or House of M (and its crossover books) or "The Other" (the crossover books that are crossover books all by themselves), you're plumb out of luck when you go looking for comics at your Local Comic Store (or "LCS" as we bloggers like to call 'em!). Those of you who read this blog (all three of ya!) know already that I'm not that interested in Crisis or House of M and I'm waiting for the trade (the dirtiest words a comics fan can say!) on "The Other," so where does that leave me? It leaves me telling you whether a mere two books are fun or not!

BART SIMPSON #26: This comic is fun...sorta. Frequent readers of Comics Oughta Be Fun ("COBF", pronounced "cobif") know that I generally have two grades for the comics I read: fun and not fun. Well, add to that a brand-new grade of fun...sorta. And it's 'propriate I'm using it on this week's Simpsons comic, because I'd actually been thinking of retiring the Simpsons/Bongo line from the fun/not fun rating system. Why? Because they're nearly always fun...but sometimes they're not perfect. I needed a middle grade for comics that are still plenty fun to read—don't get me wrong—but which aren't exceptionally amazing or fantastic. It's sorta like if Mister Ebert waggled his thumb in the middle instead of thumbs up and thumbs down all the time! Anyway, as usual, this week's Simpsons comic is fun...but it could have been better. The thing I like about Bart Simpson is there's usually a buncha stories; if one's not that great, there might be an even better one later on. I liked the first one best (Bart's treehouse is scheduled for demolition. I wish I had a treehouse!) and it has lots of funny sight gags (but where did Homer's bandages go between pages 7 and 8?). The Maggie dream story was kinda silly more often than it was fun or funny and the "Bart goes on a bath strike" story was something you'd see on any Disney Channel sitcom! It wasn't sharp enough for the Simpsons. That's why this issue gets a grade of fun...sorta.. It's better than a lot of comics, but it's not as good as it could be.


JSA CLASSIFIED #4: This comic is fun. I've never been a huge fan of Power Girl but this whole storyline has been a fun exploration of who she is and what her relationship to the DC Universe is. It has a twist at the end which was fun just for being different than what you usually get in a twist at the end. You know how so many stories are "what you know about Character X is WRONG!"? Well, this one is "what you know about Power Girl is RIGHT!" It restores the simplest, most common explanation for her origin back to comics, and I'm pretty sure I can guess that means (as the 'blogosphere' has been buzzing about for weeks) a return to the multiverse for DC Comics. I'm not certain how i feel about that. I like Earth-2 and multiple earths and crossover stories. But I'm not certain if returning to that will make the comics more accessible, or, most important to me, more fun. I guess we have to wait and see! (I'll have to wait longer than most of you, 'coz buying this title is the closest I'll get to reading Infinite Crisis!) I think the story loses a couple points for 1) having a kinda downbeat splash-page ending (I woulda wrote it different—a little more triumphant, but I'm just a li'l stuffed bull after all), and 2) there's a two-page epilogue that just kills the momentum of the story itself, makes it not complete, and isn't really anything but a teaser for Infinite Crisis. That's why even tho' this book was fun, I can't award it the Bully-approved seal of most fun comic of the week. Nobody gets that. Maybe next week I'll trot it out again.


Oh sure, I know there are plenty of fun comics out there that I didn't pick up. I want the Showcase Presents: Metamorpho book and the new Little Lulu collection. There's a great digest collection of Sgt. Rock stories I woulda bought if I'd saved more dimes. My point is, we live in a day and age of fun comics all around us, folks. But sometimes they are not always the ones that are brand-new on the shelves that week.

Mmmmm...Simpsony.

It's All-Simpsons Week here at Comics Oughta Be Fun, 'coz Matt Groening and his crazy crew at Bongo comics shipped three, count 'em, three Simpsons comics this week. I almost always find Simpsons comics a heckuva lotta fun, so you can bet I rushed right home to read 'n' review these! (I would have got this up a little while earlier except I had to watch a re-run of The Simpsons on Channel Five...it was the one with Stop the Planet of the Apes: I Want to Get Off! Help me, Doctor Zaius! I laffed and laffed and laffed.)

Golly, I love this show. Anyway, onto the comics!:

BART SIMPSON #25: This comic is fun. The Bart Simpson book seems to be intended for a slightly younger audience (and hey, I'm a little stuffed bull, aren't I?), so there's less of the sharp biting humor of the TV show and even the regular comic in favor of gags and adventure, but there's still plenty of fun for all ages in Bart. The first story is my favorite: it's by Tom "Tennessee" Peyer (hey, I remember him from his "Sideshow" and "Captain 'Cuse" days in the Syracuse New Times. When will Lee Alexander's Cat make an appearance in your comics, Tom? Huh? Lee Alexander's Cat?). Bart goes to work for Comic Book Guy and that's where the fun begins, especially for us comic fans, because it's chock-a-block fulla comics and sci-fi references: Green Arrow's Arrow Cave, Jonathan "Riker" Frakes, Mark Waid, the Pocket Universe, and the splash panel is a homage to the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #50. Best of all, it's still a funny story even if you don't get all the comics references! The other two stories are fun too, but if you're at all a comics fan who doesn't mind giggling a bit at your own hobby, this is a fun issue.


SIMPSONS #109: This comic is fun. But weird! Mr. Burns tries to rewrite history by erecting a museum of Burns history. Homer pursues a feud with Artie Pie. And quite possibly one of the greatest captions in comics this year: "Meanwhile, back at the "B" story..." All this and a Wacky Races joke, too! It's a little over the top but never stops being quirky and funny. I've said it before and I'll say it again...wait a minute, I'm not certain I've said it before. Let me check. (.......................) No. No, I haven't said it before. But I'll say it now: there's no comic that more captures the spirit, chaotic adventure, and humor of the great Dell and Gold Key funny animal comics of the Silver Age than today's Simpsons Comics. They're not quite a Carl Barks story, but they're the best modern equivalent—even the cover gag looks like something Huey, Dewey, and Louie would do with Donald! Well, if Donald was morbidly obese.


SIMPSONS SUPER SPECTACULAR #1: This comic is fun. Now here's a nifty idea: an anthology series of Simpsons superhero stories! If you liked the comic book story in this week's Bart Simpson, you'll love Simpsons Super Spectacular! (Or, at least, to keep truth in advertising, if you liked the comic book story in this week's Bart Simpson, you'll also like Simpsons Super Spectacular.) There's a Homer as Pie Man story called "Holy Cow!! Has Pie Man Turned Evil?" (Pie Man: "Yup.") Luckily it's just an evil Pie Man that Homer must stop! Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Then Bartman steps into a parallel universe ("The Borders is a Barnes and Noble!") where Lisa is a supervillain, plus a flip-book comic (Gosh! I love flip-books!) featuring two stories of Radioactive Man! Tell me what other comic has such thrills, chills, spills, uh...um...(looking in the Krusty Burger scene to see if there are any pickles)...dills and all-out Bills (okay, just one: Bill Morrison)? None! That's why SIMPSONS SUPER SPECTACULAR #1 is the most fun comic of the week!