While the rest of the reviewers get the week off to focus on the Free Comic Book Day Comics available this weekend, I get my choice of books to review! But the big event this week that gathered all my attention is, of course …
ALTER EGO #175 TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING
Alter Ego magazine is steeped in comic book tradition. Starting in 1961, the original incarnation of the magazine was the brainchild of “Father of Comic Book Fandom” Jerry Bails and Roy Thomas. This original incarnation lasted for 11 issues over the course of 17 years. In 1997, Roy Thomas and noted author Bill Schelly met with Twomorrows Publishing and the magazine was brought back as a flip book with issues of their title, Comic Book Artist. Becoming a full blown magazine in 1999. Focusing on the 1930’s to the 1960’s eras of comics, I can remember getting my first issue. Any magazine that dealt with the Golden Age of Comics was right up my alley and I savored every issue.
23 years later, and we’ve reached 175 issues! And Twomorrows is giving us the present. Starting with a wrap around cover from long-time artist Arvell Jones and inked by the amazing Bob McLeod. The rest of this issue’s contents are just amazing. Interviews with Arvell Jones, Richard Howell, and Jerry Ordway are not the only jaw dropping content as we also get included another issue within an issue of P.C. Hamerlinck’s FCA and another episode of Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt! But what will totally blow me away was an article about one fan’s obsession with the All-Star Squadron and how John Joshua refused to let the series end with issue #67 and commissioned multiple artists to create the covers for issues 68 through 143 (as well as Annuals #4-10) while he came up with a synopsis for each issue! After all this time, Alter Ego is still bringing together old and new fans of comics together! Totally worth the price of admission! I give it a 9 out of 10 Grahams. 
AND WHILE YOU ARE IN LINE TO COLLECT YOU FREE COMIC BOOK DAY COMICS, REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT THE THOUSANDS OF BACK ISSUES WHICH FEATURE SUCH GEMS AS THIS ONE!
GENTLE BEN #1 DELL COMICS
Based on a novel by Walt Morey in 1965, the story of Ben the Bear and his boy Mark quickly translated to television. And in 1967 on the CBS network, Clint Howard (brother to Ron Howard and star of the horror movie Ice Cream Man) reprised his role of Mark from the 1967 film, the Gentle Giant. The show lasted two seasons and since Dell Comics had the rights to just about everything on television, there had to be a comic. The art is somewhat primative and the stories are pretty common for the time frame, there is a sort of nostagic feeling about this title. Heck, the series lasted for 5 issues all with photo covers so it can’t be all bad. This one really highlights the anything goes of television in the 1960’s. I give it a 7 out of 10 Grahams.
