Looney Tunes (1994 Series) #119

October 4, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Bouncing Baby Bunny and other stories

When Bugs Bunny gets lost in yet another directional mishap, he winds up in the clutches of an angry gorilla.

Writers: Bill Matheny, Craig Boldman & Earl Kress
Pencils: David Alvarez & Mike DeCarlo
Inks: Mike DeCarlo
Colors: Dave Tanguay
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher & Nick J. Napolitano
Editor: Joan Hilty
Cover Art: Dave Alvarez & Mike DeCarlo
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC

Historically, one of the big problems with Looney Tunes comics has been that the crazy, madcap style of humor that make the cartoons masterpieces didn’t translate as well to the comic book page. Somehow, DC Comics has finally found the way to overcome that hurdle – this issue seems to bottle the essence of those toons and make them great.

“Bouncing Baby Bunny,” the opening gambit, is classic Bugs Bunny. Bugs, dressed as a baby for a costume contest, gets lost (as usual) and winds up in the arms of a gorilla who wants him for her very own… but her mate isn’t too happy about it. This isn’t that original a concept – almost the same story was done in the cartoons more than once – but it comes across very well.

Another highlight of the issue include “Ragin’ Cage.” Tweety Bird gets himself a high-tech cage to keep off the advances of the ravenous Sylvester. People think Tweety is so innocent, but this cartoon, like the best of his cartoons, shows what a sadistic little monster he can be – not that Sylvester doesn’t deserve it. We also get “The Ugly Duckling,” which isn’t so much an adaptation of that classic fable as it is a story about Daffy Duck’s dismay at being cast in that role. The issue also includes several one or two-page stories that amount to gag strips – set-up and punchline, and the punchlines for the most part are pretty good.

If you love the Looney Tunes, chances are you’ll find this title to your liking. It took over 50 years and many different publishers, but DC has finally figured out how to do these characters right.

Rating: 8/10

The Batman Strikes! #8

April 13, 2005

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Firefall

When Firebug takes aim at friends of Bruce Wayne, the Batman can’t be far behind.

Writer: Bill Matheny
Pencils: Christopher Jones
Inks: Terry Beatty
Colors: Heroic Age
Letters: Phil Balsman
Editor: Nachie Castro
Cover Art: Jeff Matsuda
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC

Continuing the spinoff of the new The Batman cartoon show, this issue the Gotham mob takes aim at a flower shop owned by old friends of Bruce Wayne. To drive their point home, they call upon the city’s resident pyromaniac hitman, Firefly.

The book from here is a decent done-in-one tale of Batman doing his detective thing and taking on Firefly, and it will probably appeal quite a bit to fans of the television show. Unfortunately, I’m still not one of them. Perhaps Paul Dini and Bruce Timm just set the bar too high with their own animated Batman, but this title just feels a little off to me. The focus on making Batman younger is all well and good, but somehow the character has become more flippant, more wisecracking, and that’s an interpretation of the hero that just doesn’t hold up to me. To be blunt, he seems to be having too much fun.

Christopher Jones, he of Dr. Blink, Superhero Shrink fame, brings his pencils to this issue with great skill. He has a great talent for drawing the more cartoonish brand of superheroes, and although here he’s using the style and character models of the television show, if you look at some of his other work he’s really not compromising very much at all. He’s a really good match for the title.

Overall, this was an okay issue, but it would be better if Batman was just a bit more mature. It’s keeping in tone with the television show, and I have to give them credit for that, but at the same time it just doesn’t feel like Batman. At least, not to me.

Rating: 7/10

Super Friends (2008 Series) #10

December 19, 2008

Superfriends #10 (DC Comics/Johnny DC)
By Sholly Fisch, Dario Brizuela & J. Bone

The Superfriends play host to a party at the Wayne Foundation Community Center, where children of all faiths are gathering together to celebrate… well… everything. Unfortunately, Dr. Light is a little miffed that he didn’t get invited to the party, so he decides to crash. The book is really kind of so-so. Fisch does a nice turn connecting Christmas, Chanuka and Kwanzaa with the theme of “light,” but the way the different holidays are presented is really by rote. It’s like he was given the assignment to come up with a story that includes and educates kids about all three holidays in one tale — which I’ve got no problem with, if only it didn’t feel quite so forced. The superheroes and kids alike sound like they’re reading out of a textbook for a couple of pages there. On the plus side, the art is nice, and the cover by J. Bone is great. It’s not my favorite Christmas comic this season, but it’s not bad.
Rating: 7/10

Cartoon Network Action Pack #1

May 8, 2006

Quick Rating: Average
Title: Double Dutch Death Valley and other stories

New tales of Samurai Jack, the Powerpuff Girls and Megas XLR!

Writers: Robbie Busch, Abby Denson & George Krstic
Pencils: Mark Chiarello, Christopher Cook & Matthew I. Jenkins
Inks: Mark Chiarello, Mike DeCarlo & Jeff Albrecht
Colors: Mark Chiarello & Heroic Age
Letters: Nick J. Napolitano
Editor: Joan Hilty
Cover Art: Matthew Jenkins & Mike DeCarlo
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC

I should say up front that I’m not a regular viewer of any of the Cartoon Network shows that have made the grade in the new Action Pack title (a companion to the comedy series in Cartoon Network Block Party), but reading the stories in this issue doesn’t really instill in me an urge to go out and check out the shows either. None of them are terrible, they’re just not for me.

“Double Dutch Death Valley,” by Robbie Busch and Mark Chiarello, fronts this issue with Samurai Jack wandering into the desert, hoping to find a portal that will send him back to his own time. Instead, he wanders into a trap set by Aku and baited with innocent children. I don’t know if Samurai Jack is really suited to the short-short story required for an anthology book. I feel like this could have been a really good story if Busch had more pages to flesh it out. I’m also not sure about Chiarello’s art – like I said, I’m not a regular viewer of the show, but I don’t think the approach he tries here really fits the usual style, which is what you look for in these cartoon-based comics.

Denson and Cook are next up with “Anything Boys Can Do Squirrels Can Do Better,” an adventure of the Powerpuff Girls’ arch-rivals, the Rowdyruff Boys. The Boys, who evidently missed the memo informing them that, as the villains, they will always lose, challenge the girls to a football game. Things are looking up, however, until a really bizarre Deus Ex Machina swoops in and wins the game for them.

The Megas XLR story “Speed Limit,” by George Krstic and Jeff Albrecht, rounds out the issue. This is the property I’ve had the least exposure to before this issue, and ironically, I think it’s the best story. When the Megas gets snared by a mysterious computer component launched by an enemy, the need to get to it and shut it off before the whole robot self-destructs. It’s a simple action story with strong artwork.

Overall, I’m not wild about this book, but that’s no doubt due to the fact that these aren’t kids properties that appeal so much to me. A kid who watches these shows will no doubt enjoy it a lot more.

Rating: 5/10

Justice League Unlimited #28

December 9, 2006

Quick Rating: Great
Title: Season’s Beatings, Justice League!

The Phantom Stranger takes Flash on a trip to Batman’s Christmas past!

Writer: Mike McAvennie
Pencils: Sanford Greene
Inks: Nathan Massengill
Colors: Heroic Age
Letters: John J. Hill
Editor: Michael Wright
Cover Art: Ty Templeton
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC

Back in the early 90s, DC put out a Christmas With the Super-Heroes special, reprinting some of the best seasonal tales from the company’s history. If they were to produce another such volume, this comic would certainly be one of the stories worth consideration for inclusion.

As the Justice League takes on Clayface, disguised in a festive Santa Claus suit, the Flash rushes in headfirst, screwing up the plan. Because of his carelessness, one of Clayface’s henchmen – a heavily armed “Elf” – manages to escape. An angry Batman sends Flash back to the satellite to sit on monitor duty while the rest of the team goes out to round up the missing elf. Flash finds himself wondering how even Batman can be such a Grinch at Christmas, when a visitor appears to answer that very question.

It’s always fun to see the Phantom Stranger put to use, and somehow he’s always felt at home in Christmas stories. (Maybe that’s because the first time I ever saw the character was in a Justice League Christmas story where they were battling the Key.) He takes Flash to visit two significant Christmases in Batman’s past, trying to help him understand exactly what it is that makes Batman who he is. The resultant story is really fantastic. This may be set on “Earth-Timm,” but the conclusions drawn here would be perfectly applicable to the “mainstream” Batman as well. It’s a great story that sheds a lot of light on the character, leading up to a very strong last page, where things all seem to turn out all right.

Sanford Greene’s artwork is also of note. Like any artist who successfully works on one of these animated comics, he’s found a nice balance between the models of the cartoon show and his own storytelling style. He has a really nice gift for putting emotion on the characters’ faces without getting either too exaggerated or too off-model.

This is one of the best issues of Justice League Unlimited I’ve yet read, and one of the best Christmas comics to have crossed my path this year.

Rating: 9/10

Cartoon Network Block Party #1

September 18, 2004

Quick Rating: Great
Title: D.E.A.D.L.I.N.E. and other stories

A great mix of comics and games for the kids!

Writers: Mo Willems; Sholly Fisch; Jesse McCann & Robbie Busch
Pencils: Matt Peters; Dave Simons; Gary Fields; Scott Neely; Jeff Albrecht; John Delaney & Mike Kazaleh
Inks: Robert R. Smith; Dave Simons; Gary Fields; Scott Neely; Jeff Albrecht & Mike Kazaleh
Colors: Heroic Age
Letters: Nick Napolitano
Editor: Joan Hilty
Cover Art: Robert Pope
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC

While I’m not a viewer of most of the TV shows represented in this jam book of Cartoon Network properties, I didn’t get a third of the way in before I absolutely fell in love with the format. This comic is the perfect sampler for a kid – it’s full of characters they already know and love, and the book mixes in short stories with puzzles and games in a seamless fashion. Rather than stopping the book for the games, the games are mixed into the story.

There are three “regular” stories in this issue. We start with Codename: Kids Next Door in “D.E.A.D.L.I.N.E.” The Kids are called to rescue one of their own who is being held prisoner – it’s an extended gag strip, a cute five page story with a great punchline. We’ve got The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy in “Stage Fright.” When Grim decides to audition for a big musical, his stage fright almost blows it for him. Fortunately, the director finds a way to put the Grim Reaper’s unique characteristics to work for them. Finally, Dexter’s Laboratory presents “Garden Hose Nose Job.” When Dexter’s robot malfunctions he decides to fix it by borrowing his mom’s new garden hose. When she misses it, though, a guilty Dexter puts his robot to work.

All three of these stories are very cute and a lot of fun – just what you want to give your kids to read. The real innovative stuff, though, comes in the activity games mixed into the issue. Each is a one or two page story, a puzzle with a punchline, a great format. Courage the Cowardly Dog stars in “Hide and Shriek,” a story about some scary poltergeists hurling around furniture – mixed in with a simple hidden picture game. Ed, Edd ‘n Eddy star in “Mowin’ in the Wind,” a gag about them getting lost mowing lawns for money, with a maze in the mix. (Parents, if you insist on your kids keeping their comics pristine, you may want to photocopy this page.) Johnny Bravo stars in the one-page “The Dating Game,” where he’s got to find his blind date in a club full of women. This is a logic puzzle – Johnny get a few facts about his date and the reader is challenged to find her mixed into the room. The comic concludes with Cow and Chicken in “Fortune Hunter.” Chicken challenges the reader to one of those “pick a number” games – a simple magic trick – and teaches them how to use the same trick on their friends.

This comic book, simply put, is everything that should be done to get younger children reading comics. Familiar characters, fun and games and things they can share with other children. The stores are good and the punchlines are funny. If you have kids who watch these shows, you’ve got to pick up this comic for them.

Rating: 9/10

Justice League Unlimited #19

February 27, 2006

Quick Rating: Great
Title: The Justice Rangers Ride Again!

When a time-travel mishap sends three Leaguers back in time, they have to race to fix the timestream!

Writer: Adam Beechen
Pencils: Gordon Purcell
Inks: Bob Petrecca
Colors: Heroic Age
Letters: Travis Lanham
Editor: Michael Wright
Cover Art: Ty Templeton
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC

As Wonder Woman, Elongated Man and Vigilante go through trophies of the Justice League’s past adventures, Vigilante accidentally activates a time-travel device that sends them back to the old west where they encounter three of DC’s classic western heroes – Jonah Hex, El Diablo and Bat Lash. To get home, the heroes will have to protect an important young man from an attempt on his life by a villain from the future.

Justice League Unlimited, even in its final season (stupid Cartoon Network) continues to be one of the single greatest superhero television shows ever made, and Adam Beechen has done a really great job capturing the feel of that show in this comic. Each issue is stand-alone, but features a story that would fit in quite nicely with the chronology of the TV series, and the way he goes beyond the League itself to drawn in other parts of the DC Universe makes it even more fun. This version of the old west, of course, is a great deal more sanitized than that you would find in Jonah Hex, but in a comic aimed at kids, that’s an acceptable change. The sheer cool factor of seeing Elongated Man and Hex fighting bad guys in robot suits more than makes up for that.

Gordon Purcell’s artwork, as always, is spot-on. Each panel looks like it could have been clipped directly from the TV show, but he doesn’t sacrifice any of the storytelling language unique to the comic book form.

I really, really love this comic book, it’s the only Johnny DC title I buy every month, and even though the television series is coming to an end, I hope DC keeps this title alive for a very long time.

Rating: 9/10

Looney Tunes (1994 Series) #118

August 31, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Duck, Dodgers & other stories

A trilogy of tales starring that protector of the spaceways – Duck Dodgers!

Writer: Earl Kress
Pencils: Neal Sternecky, Dave Alvarez & Walter Carzon
Inks: Scott McRae, Mike DeCarlo & Ruben Torreiro
Colors: Dave Tanguay
Letters: Pat Brosseau
Editor: Joan Hilty
Cover Art: Dave Alvarez & Mike DeCarlo
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC

First of all, let me thank DC Comics for instituting their new “Johnny DC” line, linking together their various young readers titles and trying to make some good comics for kids again, and second, let me thank whoever at DC decides which books to send out in advance each week for including stuff like Looney Tunes, just because I finally have an excuse to talk about Daffy Duck in a professional manner.

As big a fan as I am of the Looney Tunes cartoons – the funniest cartoons ever made in my opinion – historically their comic books haven’t been as great as those of their Disney counterparts. That’s probably because the Looney Tunes style of humor is so kinetic, so visual, that it doesn’t translate as well to the comic book page. Since DC began publishing a new Looney Tunes series several years ago, however, many of those problems have been addressed and a string of talented writers and artists have gotten better and better at putting that classic style on paper.

This issue is a spotlight on Daffy’s alter-ego, Duck Dodgers in the 24th and a Half Century! Based on the new cartoon series (which in turn is based on the classic shorts), Earl Kress serves up three delightfully goofy shorts. In the first, Marvin the Martian plans to use a giant billiard cue to knock the Earth out of its orbit. (He’s always wanted to get rid of Earth because it blocks his view of Venus.) Next, Dodgers and his sidekick (Porky Pig, who is never named in this role other than “Cadet”) have to quell a breakout on the prison planet for evil birthday clowns (yes, it’s as silly as it sounds, and that’s a good thing), and the third story is the latest plot of the Queen of Mars to ensnare Dodgers in her clutches in a romantic sense. This issue manages to hit all the major themes of the cartoon show, with wonderfully funny stories and great, kinetic, artwork that gets the gags across as well as anything.

I loved seeing this Duck Dodgers spotlight, but I hope DC doesn’t shift the book too much in that direction (anyone remember when the book became “G.I. Joe starring Snake-Eyes”?). Dodgers certainly has a place, and I wouldn’t mind seeing a story with him in every issue, but with so many great characters to choose from, it’d be a shame to shy away from Bugs Bunny, Sylvester and Tweety or all the other greats for very long.

Rating: 8/10