REVIEW: Fantastic Four #251

Story & Art: John Byrne

Lettering: Jim Novak

Coloring: Glynis Wein

Review: Will Dubbeld

Although I’ve an endearing love and respect for the Fantastic Four, I’m not very well-read on most of their publications.  The only back issues of any age in my collection growing up were the "Trial of Reed Richards" and the issue where they return from Secret Wars Battleworld with She-Hulk instead of Thing.

Other than that, I had the annual from The Korvac Quest and didn’t buy any FF until Dr. Doom flayed his girlfriend and turned her skin into hell-armor.

Which was pretty rad...

I’m sure I owned a few more scattered issues here and there, but horrible 1990s imagery and writing were effective deterrents against further purchases.

Sue’s boob-window uniform, for example, and Thing wearing a bucket on his head.

Just dumb.

REVIEW: The House of Secrets #127

Credits: See below
Review: Art Bee

Horror has been a genre close to my heart since I was about 11–years old and watched the original Amityville Horror. Though I don’t get terrorized by such things anymore, my appreciation of the feeling is still well into the high side of, “loving it.” When I was older my fascination for “witty horror” (my own label) skyrocketed with the HBO series, Tales from the Crypt.

For those not familiar, these types of stories have a short plot followed by a witty punchline from the narrator.

What’s funny is talking about it makes it sound a little dumb, but assuredly it is not.

DC’s The House of Secrets #127 has three such short stories in it. Each has a tragic end for the main character of the story worthy of each, as they all have less than desirable personality traits.
Enough jabbering! On with the…review.

REVIEW: Dazzler #1

Writer: Tom DeFalco

Penciler: John Romita, Jr.

Inker: Alfredo Alcala

Colorist: Glynis Wein

Letterer: Joe Rosen

Dazzler seems to be a pretty divisive character in that folks are either dedicated fans or think she’s dumb as hell.

Granted, the disco angle doesn’t do her any favors...

In any case, I find myself a member of the Dazzler fan club for two reasons:

Australia and Marvel Action Universe.

My first solid introduction to the X-Men was, to my recollection, the Outback era featuring a team of presumed-dead outlaw Muties. Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, Havok, and a few others maintained a secret Australian base and traveled via teleporting Aborigine.

It was pretty amazing, and Dazzler counted herself amongst those scrappy survivors.

Marvel Action Universe, on the other hand, was a Saturday morning programming block featuring oddball cartoons like Dino-Riders and RoboCop.

Of all goddamn things, yes, there was a kid-friendly animated adaptation of one of the most violent R-rated flicks out there.

One day, one beautiful day, there was an honest-to-god X-Men cartoon on the Marvel Action Universe.

Pryde of the X-Men.