VALIANT UNIVERSE HANDBOOK VALIANT COMICS
It doesn’t matter what Universe a handbook covers, I always find them fascinating. Aside from getting the histories and origins of the characters and various places and things, these books act as an interest generator for other titles in the line. Sure I might regularly read Archer & Armstrong but haven’t really looked into Shadowman. The fun facts contained here might be enough to grab my interest. With over 300 different listings, the Valiant Universe has never looked better and page 20’s listing for the Faraway really grabbed my attention. If you are a Valiant fan already, this might have hidden little fun facts to amaze you. If you’re not a regular Valiant reader, this will act as a great introduction and might just point you to a starting point. I give it an 8 out 10 Grahams.
NOT BRAND ECHH COLLECTION TPB MARVEL COMICS
Before Scotty Young, before DCS children’s line of comics with unusual versions of their heroes and villains interacting in childlike ways, before the 1980s What The?! comic, there was the now-classic Not Brand Echh! On a par with DC’s Infamous Inferior 5 comic series, Not Brand Echh straddled the company lines between Marvel, DC, and Independent with a satirical look at the universe of comic characters and their creators. Goofy slapstick mayhem flowed from the book like a mighty river in South America. No character, no company was exempt from the satire that these creators threw out there. And what an amazing group of creators it was! Lead by such notable folks as Jack Kirby, Roy Thomas, Gene Colan, and the immortal Marie Severin, this book made a cultural icon of Irving Forbush! Finding these terrific tales reprinted in one giant collection with sharper colors and new paper stock is a must-have. So secure your copy and join in the exploits The Mighty Sore, the Inedible Bulk, and Charlie America! If you like the parodies of the old Mad Magazine, this is for you. However, the best of the book is shown on page 349 which was deep into Issue #11! The best the late 60’s could offer! I give it a 10 out of 10!
STEEL CAGE #1 AHOY COMICS
Holy shades of Showcase Comics! Ahoy Comics revisits an old idea in their newest title. Back in the good old days, certain mainstream titles gave the readers a chance to vote or voice their opinions on what features should appear in the book. In this variation, we are loaded up with 3 choices for a new series featuring one of the three. Unfortunately, that’s a hard choice to make. All 3 features are expertly done and have a uniqueness about them which earn them the right for their own title. But what do you expect from such experts as Mark Waid, Stuart Moore, and Tom Peyer. Truth be told, my opinion is that both Bright Boy and True Identity deserve their own titles with Noah Zark making a wonderful back up feature in one of the new title. And the great part is that (for once) my opinion actually does count. As does yours and yours and yours! Like we say in Chicago, vote early and vote often. I give it a 9 out of 10 Grahams.
