Christmas Covers - December 23

A bunch of were-rats are up to no good on the cover of the Gold Digger X-Mas Special #8 (2014) by Fred Perry.

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Holiday-related comic book cover. (Click on the image to get a larger version.)

Just 2 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

 
(2014: Grandville Noël)
(2013: Shade, The Changing Man #19)
(2012: I Gotta' Catch Santa Claus)
(2011: Journal de Tintin #424)
(2010: Katy Keene #57)
(2009: Marvelman #71)
(2008: The Original Black Cat #8)
(2007: Dennis the Menace Pocket Full of Fun #22)
(2006: Girls Bravo vol. 6)
(2005: All-New Collectors' Edition #C-53)
(2004: Impulse #34)

(Also see: The 2015 Comics Should Be Good Advent Calendar)   

Gold Digger #100

I thought it worth noting that today sees the release of issue #100 of Fred Perry's Gold Digger comic. It's actually the 154th issue of Gold Digger, as there was an original four-issue mini-series and a fifty-issue black-and-white series prior to the current color series.

Gold Digger is (as far as I know) the longest-running creator-owned comic series by an African-American; and also one of the longest-running creator-owned and -created series ever--to my recollection only Dave Sim's Cerebus (300 issues) surpases it, and Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon (142 issues and counting) is in the same longevity league. Fred does all the writing and art (including color) for each issue, and it comes out (mostly) monthly. That's in addition to various side projects Fred engages in as well.

With its sprawing cast, dense backstory and mythology, and heavily-stylized art Gold Digger may not be for everybody. But if you appreciate a long-running monthly adventure comic with a singular creative vision, you may want to give it a try (There are numerous manga-sized collections available from the publisher, Antarctic Press.)

Quick Halloween Comic Reviews

Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #20
by Peter David, Mike Norton & Norman Lee
Marvel, $2.99

Back to the past when Peter Parker was still in high school, that time when he teamed-up with Hawkeye to fight Frankenstein's Monster at a school Halloween party. MAS-M is the Spidey title for those who like their Spider-Man in the classic mode without a lot of continuity bogging him down (and without that silly Iron Spider costume!)

Rating: 3 (of 5)



Gold Digger Halloween Special #2
by Fred Perry & Friends
Antarctic, $2.99

The lead story by Fred is a GD-18 adventure of young Brit & Gina as they start the evening trick-or-treating as a Cylon & Imperious Leader from Classic Battlestar Galactica, and end the night bass fishing. Yeah, bass fishing; you'll just have to read it. The second story by Jessica Moffett has Brit trying on a bunch of cosplay outfits, and might have been more interesting to me if I knew more of the characters she was emulating. The final story by David Hutchinson features his Mischief & Mayhem kids mixing it up with the Peebos during tricks-or-treats. It's rounded out by a variety of pin-ups of varying quality, though Ben Dunn's pic of Gina dressed up as Dr. Who is a winner.

Rating: 2.5 (of 5)



Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #12
by Kyle Baker, Terry Moore, & Eric Powell
Bongo Comics, $4.99

Part of the fun of these annual ToH specials is seeing how you favorite comic artists interpret the Simpsons. Unfortunately (and a bit surprisingly) neither Baker nor Moore acquit themselves very well. Their stories are okay, but nothing too special. On the plus side Eric Powell's Simpsons look great and his story has the right tone for a ToH segment. Make this year a 1 for 3 then.

Rating: 2.5 (of 5)



Sabrina, the Teenage Witch #79
by Tania Del Rio with Jim Amash
Archie, $2.25

Sabrina and her other witch friends learn that on Halloween witches are allowed to use their magic freely in the Mortal Realm, just so long as they don't get caught. They decide to go to a haunted house to have a little fun, but when they get tired of standing in the long admission line Salem convinces them to visit a 'real' haunted house instead. The Four Blades plot takes a backseat this issue, and though it looks like none of the overall plot is advanced, based on reading solicits for future issues I suspect that what Salem discovers inside the haunted house may have implications down the line. Tania Del Rio continues to quietly turn in one of the best OEL manga with each issue.

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)



52 week 25
by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, Keith Giffen, Joe Bennett, Dale Eaglesham, Phil Jimenez, Pat Olliffe.
DC, $2.50

It's interesting that DC is keeping their weekly 'real-time' series in line with the current time, meaning that if it's Halloween here on Earth Prime it's also Halloween on New Earth. Aside from the wonderful J. G. Jones cover there are only a couple of the scenes taking place during tricks-or-treats in Boston & New York. There's not much here that couldn't have taken place at any other time of year, but the Halloween backdrop adds a nice bit of color. We also get some of the background on why Alan Scott and Michael Holt joined Checkmate, see the Black Adam Family in action, and witness the triumphant return of a classic Wonder Woman villain, whose last-page reveal is a crowd-pleaser.

Rating: 3 (of 5)

Dave's (Half) Dozen: Indy Comics

Continuing my look through the October Previews (for comics supposedly shipping in December), here are a half dozen indy comics that I feel are worth your attention:


DinoWars: Jurassic War of the Worlds #1
(Antarctic, $3.50, p. 222)
Ros Espinosa's latest has a race of intelligent dinosaurs returing to Earth after 65 million years away--and they're pissed!



Cthulhu Tales: "The Rising"
(Boom!, $6.99, p. 248)
The first Cthulhu Tales was a good deal of fun, and there's no reason to expect that this second offering won't be more of the same.



Mr. Stuffins #1
(Boom!, $3.99, p. 250)
Another piece of high-concept pop-action from Boom!: A teddy bear secret agent!



Code #1
(Guardian Line, $2.99, p. 286)
One of three new Christian-themed titles debuting from new publisher Guardian Line this month, Code could be the best of the lot. A baddd-a$$ techno-sage in a trench coat and fedora with a comprehensive knowledge of saced writings. "Evil had best sit down and shut up." Indeed.



Maintenance #1
(Oni, $3.50, p. 309)
Jim Massey & Robbi Rodriguez bring what looks to be a fun comic about a couple of janitors at an evil science think tank.



The 3 Geeks: Jim's Jerky!
(3 Finger Press, $2.00, p. 318)
Rich Koslowski takes a break from 'serious' graphic novels to come back to his original series of three comic-loving guys.



I covered mainstream comics a few days ago. I'll have the collects and graphic novels picks in a day or two.