Mary Perkins, On Stage - Volume Four

Welcome back to the continuing saga of a young actress trying to make her way in the world of theater, television, and film, all the while adjusting to her new life as the wife of a news photographer.  Yes, that is where we find the beautiful and talented Mary Perkins as we reach Volume Four of the collected editions of the newspaper strip, On Stage.  I have been absolutely loving this series of strips, as they contain everything necessary to make for engaging stories - strong characters, dramatic stories, fast-moving plots, suspense, mystery, surprises, excitement, and above all else, the true-to-life adventures of theater life.  Despite her naivety and innocence, Mary Perkins comes across as a very real, very relatable person with whom the reader can quickly and easily identify with and root for in every situation.  She always sees the best in everyone, she's quick to help when needed, but she's not afraid to call out those who are underhanded or engaged in villainous activities.  In many ways, Mary Perkins is a theater-version of Nancy Drew!

Volume Four of Mary Perkins, On Stage covers the strips that ran from June 13, 1960 to September 17, 1961, so just a little over a year's worth of strips.  That's more than 365 daily/Sunday strips, which certainly provides for a lot of story.  And when you think about the fact that this strip ran for over 20 years, 365 days out of every year (not counting the 366 days every leap year!), that's quite a bit of work for Leonard Starr, the strip's creator, writer, and artist, to churn out on a daily basis.  Yet, not only does he manage to do it, but he does it with such style and keeps the stories fresh and exciting!  I'll definitely admit that I'm glad to be reading the strip in these collected editions, as I don't know if I would have been able to wait day after day for the story to build (like I do when I watch General Hospital on a daily basis...).  At least with General Hospital, we get about 36 minutes of story each day - with On Stage, it was only three panels a day (except for Sundays, which were expanded to nine or so panels).  So, imagine trying to follow three panels a day, waiting impatiently each day to see what would happen next to Mary and her supporting cast!

 

This volume picks up right where Volume Three left off.  Mary Perkins is now married to photographer, Pete Fletcher, and it seems the "View" magazine is trying to reach Pete for a new assignment.  Meanwhile, as Starr so often does, a subplot is developing with an elderly woman - one Daisy Collins - who is trying to get a job at the very theater where Mary is currently working.  Starr builds the story, not just around Daisy, who manages to insinuate herself into Mary's life, but also around Mike O'Hare's latest play, which is not doing so great, as well as Harley Langton, Jr., a wealthy man who has his sights set on Mary!  As it turns out, Daisy is not everything she appears to be, and she manages to help both Daisy and Pete, and in so doing, ensures herself a place in their home!  By the time this first story is coming to an end, Starr is already setting up the next tale, in which Mary finds herself guest-starring on the Julep Tandy Show!

Starr provides a look behind the scenes of Hollywood and young actresses whose parents can be a bit tyrannical. Mary is excited to be a guest on the Julep Tandy Show, but what she doesn't know is that Julep's mother does not want her there - she wants all focus on her daughter, and with Mary in the picture, she may overshadow Julep.  Mary ends up in the middle of things, and before you know it, Julep ends up at Mary and Pete's apartment, asking to stay in order to get away from her overbearing mother!  Mary and Pete are forced to play mediators between Julep and her mother, but even they are completely unaware of just how far Julep will go to get out from underneath her mother's control!

Starr's creativity knows now bounds, as he slides ever-so-smoothly from one story to the next, using the end of each story as a jumping-board to go into the next tale.  Julep sets up Mary to have her own television series created by none other than the programming genius, J.J. Jonah - which evolves into a tale of mystery surrounding the mysterious Mr. Jonah.  Who is he, why does he keep everyone in the dark around him (literally!), and just why is it that Mary has never seen Mr. Jonah and his rather stern secretary in the same room at the same time?  Just when Mary thinks she has it all figured out, Starr throws in a rather unexpected twist that makes the story all the better!  This eventually leads into the start of Mary's new show, which finds her heading down to the Florida Keys, where she will be filming an episode with the famous actor, Gregg Talbot!  Pete joins Mary for an early vacation in the Keys before he heads off on his next assignment and she begins filming; but, it seems Talbot has other ideas.  And who should also appear in the Keys, but the infamous Johnny Q, who makes his return to the panels of Mary's strip.  A deadly hurricane, an abandoned baby, and Talbot's true nature all make for a gripping story.

Starr doesn't give the readers a break though, as he heads right into the next tale involving a writer who handpicks Mary Perkins to star in a television show for which he is writing a script - a script he is keeping secret, as he depends solely on astrology and other signs to warn him of what's to come!  His beliefs ultimately put him at conflict with Mary and lead to some rather strange dreams (which, incidentally, provides Starr with the opportunity to draw some very off-beat and out-of-the-ordinary panels for the strip!).  But the resolution of that drama does not mean any rest for Mary, as she and Pete are quickly thrust into relationship drama when Johnny Q shows up on their doorstep with a new love interest.  Johnny has fallen for a siren - but the siren's voice leaves a lot to be desired!  Admittedly, this storyline is probably the most lackluster of all of Mary's adventures thus far, it does provide readers some great insight into the character of Johnny Q, and allows Starr to explore the world of the music industry a little bit.

The final story in this volume is actually my favorite of them all.  Starr gives readers a sad tale of a fading western movies star, Cody Kincaid.  Mary and Pete happen to meet the movie star in an unexpected brawl as they are leaving a restaurant.  Pete talks Cody into making a real western film, and, of course, Mary ultimately becomes his guest star.  But Cody's agent, T.C. Hart, has some secrets of his own that will ultimately cause drama on the set and for both Cody and Mary when they are filming on location.  Cody has never been concerned about the money he has made off of his successful films, but when his plans to establish a ranch for children to come out and experience the wild west as it once was are dashed because of his agent's mishandling of his money, Cody only sees one way out - one that sees the western star ride off into the sunset one last time.  It's truly a heart-breaking story, with less focus on the drama (although there is drama involving a wild horse, a bobcat, a party held in a posh mansion, and the tension between Cody and his agent) and more focus on the human side of the characters, particularly Cody Kincaid.

One thing I noticed in this volume is that Mary often took a side-seat in her own stories, as other characters - Johnny Q, Pete, Cody Kincaid, and others - took the spotlight.  There were instances where Mary did not appear in her own strip for two or even three strips in a row, as the story focused on the actions of other characters.  This, of course, provides the strip with more of a "soap opera" feel, since soaps never focus just on one character, but look into the lives of numerous characters, switching from one story to the next and then back to the first.  That's certainly not a complaint, as for me, it provides more of a sense of realism to the strip, as the stories could not be fleshed out if Starr only stayed focus on Mary, and she was in every single panel of the strip.  I also noticed in this volume that there were more panels that lacked any background whatsoever - they just featured the characters in that scene and the word balloons for whatever they were saying.  Most panels continue to feature Starr's very detailed backgrounds, and perhaps he was beginning to realize he could save a bit of time by leaving out the backgrounds once in a while and just allow the characters to be the focal point of particular panels.  For me, this was a bit of a disappointment, as I'll admit - it is the details of Starr's art (such as the designs in wallpaper, shower curtains, the city backgrounds at night or in the rain, the stairs and bricks of buildings in the background) that truly makes this strip stand out from other daily comic strips.

The final strip, which wraps up the Cody Kincaid story, introduces a new character (unnamed as of yet) and a situation involving Mike O'Hare and his latest flop, giving readers a hint at what is to come for Mary Perkins next!

 

One final note on this volume - with this fourth volume, Class Comics Press increased the page count, which allowed for the reprinting of the full interview that comic creator Richard Howell had with Leonard and Betty Starr, which was originally printed in Comics Feature magazine number 9 (February 1981).   It is a rather lengthy interview that takes up a lot of pages - I'm hoping future volumes feature more strip reprints per volume - while I do enjoy the interviews and other background information each volume presents at the beginning, I much prefer getting right into the stories of Mary Perkins and her life On Stage.

RATING:  9 books on astrology and chiromancy out of 10 for keeping the suspense, drama, and adventure going, with stories that vary in subject matter and intensity and characters that the reader can identify, or the very least sympathize, with.

Hardy Boys Adventures, Book 24 - As the Falcon Flies

We are now twenty-four books into this latest incarnation of the Hardy Boys, and while the stories, for the most part, have been a vast improvement over the disaster that was the "Hardy Boys: Undercover Brothers" series, not every book is exceptional.  The writers of this new series have offered some interesting mysteries, pretty much staying away from the sabotage trope that was overused in the HBUB books.  And this latest book does provide something different - a stolen falcon.  But, as with the latest Nancy Drew book, the execution of the story is somewhat lacking.

 

First, let's talk about the title.  As the Falcon Flies.   I'm sorry, I cannot be the only person who reads that title and automatically thinks, "Soap Opera!"  Let's face it - the title really isn't far off from As the World Turns, a soap that ran on CBS for God-knows how many decades.  Carol Burnett even did her own parody of that in her variety show, with the skit titled "As the Stomach Turns."  And while the mystery itself does center around a fast-flying falcon who is stolen, the title just feels weird.  It certainly doesn't scream "mystery," and anyone just glancing at the title alone would never even connect it to a mystery.  So, I'm not exactly sure whose bright idea it was to use this title, but it seems the series is starting to veer away from the "Mystery of..." "Secret of...." or "Clue in..." titles that paid homage to the original books.  I hope that's not a sign of what direction S&S is planning to take the series.

But, title aside, the plot is fairly good.  The Hardy family has arrived in Anchorage, Alaska to visit old friends - the Adenshaws - and Frank and Joe quickly rekindle their friendship with the Adenshaws' teenage daughter, Kate.  She had captured and trained a peregrine falcon and is proud to show it off to the Hardy brothers.  But the day after the Hardys arrive, the falcon ("Steve") goes missing!  Kate is certain the bird was kidnapped (birdnapped?), but everyone, including Frank and Joe, tell her that she has to consider all possibilities before she accuses anyone of taking the bird.  Joe, who has become infatuated with Kate, decides he is going to find Steve and reunite the bird with its owner before the family returns to Bayport at the end of the week.  The only question is - who had the means, motive, and opportunity?

Now, with such a great plot, one would think the mystery would be really good.  Unfortunately, the author does not truly provide many suspects.  The story focuses on one particular suspect - Leo Blackwell - a wealthy man who has been trying to convince Kate to sell him her falcon so that he can race it for cash prizes.  Frank, Joe and Kate never really stray too far from suspecting Leo, and the story even seems to point to him with all the clues they find.  For me, this does not make for a good read.  There are several other characters in the book who could have been built up as suspects - Kate's mentor and fellow falconer; the taxidermist in town; the carpenter who has known Kate's family for a long time and is familiar with her love of the falcon; the oil company representatives, who are unhappy about the protests Kate and her family are holding to try and stop the pipeline from going through local land; and Leo's assistant, who is quiet and stays pretty much in the background.  But none of these characters are utilized to any extent to confuse the issue and give the Hardys a multitude of suspects, and to me, that makes for a much less interesting read.

And something that may be a minor thing to most people, but for me, it kept taking me out of the story.  Multiple times, the Hardys refer to their parents and Kate's parents as "the" parents.  Any time the author refers to their dad or their mom it was always "my" Dad or "our" Mom.  Yet, whenever the term parents was used, it was almost always "the" parents.  And I realize this may be a northern phrase, as my best friend (who comes from Fall River, Massachusetts) always says that:  "the" parents.  Never "my" parents.  So, perhaps the author hails from the New England area, or perhaps the author felt that since Frank and Joe are from that area, that would be a proper way for them to refer to their parents.  But since that has never been the case in the nearly 100 years of Hardy Boys history, it felt awkward and very out of place, and so each time I came across that term, I felt like I was hitting a road bump that should not have been there.

Something not so minor that lessened the impact of the book is the complete lack of descriptions for the boys' adventures in Alaska.  The family takes a trip out to see the glacier, but instead of any breath-taking descriptions of the glacier and its surrounding area, we get treated to the remark that climate change is melting the glacier, and the boys wonder how long it will be there for future generations to see.  The boys go whale-watching with their parents; but, instead of descriptions of the magnificent creatures and the awe they inspire when watching them in the ocean, the author glosses over the trip and focuses on Kate's whining about how her bird was taken and she knows Leo took it.  The only thing we do get when it comes to descriptive narrative is the Northern Lights, which the author showcases twice in the book - once when Frank sees them, and again when Joe sees them.  Since this was not River Heights, and is a locale that most people in the States do not get to visit and see, it would have been nice had the author provided more description about the area and what the boys got to experience (and again, this may simply be missing the old days when the books did provide such descriptions, making the reader feel as if he or she was actually there and could see what the boys saw).

Overall, it's not a horrible book, but it's certainly not one of the best one in the Hardy Boys Adventures series.  We'll see what the next book has to offer.

RATING:  6 cups of "midnight black" cocoa out of 10 for taking the Hardy Boys out of Bayport and providing them for a different kind of mystery to solve.

Blackwater, Part V: The Fortune

The Caskey family saga is nearing its conclusion, as we take a look at the fifth book in this horror tale set in the backwater town of Perdido, Alabama...

The Fortune picks up right where the previous story ended.  James Caskey is dead, and while he was never a strong man, never one to really take the reigns of the family after the death of Mary-Love, he was most certainly loved by all of the Caskeys - and so his passing is a major loss for the family.  Author Michael McDowell continues to build on the undercurrent of terror that has been the backdrop of this series since the first book, when Oscar first discovered Elinor during the flood.  In the beginning, the terrors lurking beneath the surface were only hinted at, as readers knew there was something different about Elinor and that the Perdido River hid something very sinister that made the parents keep their kids away from the rushing waters.  With each passing book in this series, the horrors have become more defined and more real, and the revelations regarding just who, or rather what, Elinor is has become plain.  And the fact that Elinor has passed on those terrifying genes to her younger child, Frances, was revealed in the previous book, The War.  And now, with the Great War coming to a close, the Caskey family is about to find their lives are changed yet again - but whether it's for the better or for worse remains to be seen.

McDowell has created such a diverse cast of characters for this series, and in this book, they each have a chance to truly shine with those differences.  Queenie, who has lived most of her life poor, finds herself welcomed into the family and is allowed to remain in James' home, where she had been staying as his companion.  Grace and Lucille has established a comfortable life for themselves across the border in the Florida panhandle, raising young Tommy Lee together.  Miriam has firmly established herself as the head of the Caskey lumber company, having taken complete charge, while her father, Oscar, does less and less to the point where he finally retires from the family business.  Sister is still insistent that she does not want to ever see Early Haskew again, and after a fall down the stairs, decides to make herself a bed-ridden invalid that can never return to married life again.  Danjo has moved off to Germany, where he lives with his wife, Fredericka.  And Malcolm - well, Queenie has resolved herself to the fact that he son was likely killed in the war, since she hasn't heard from him in years.  And then there's Frances.  Despite her fear over what happens whenever she goes in the water, she has found happiness in her marriage to Billy Bronze - but that happiness quickly turns to fear when she finds out that she is pregnant!  Will her child turn out to possess the same ability to change form that she inherited from her own mother, Elinor?  Well, it turns out she is actually pregnant with twins, and when her mother helps her actually look insider herself to communicate with her soon-to-be-born babies, she finds out the awful truth!

The title of the book refers to more than just the Caskews' current financial status.  They have always had money, and they have always found the means of making more money.  But Miriam realizes with the war ending, they will need to go back to producing for more than just the military.  With the help of her brother-in-law, Billy, she soon finds herself investing in another venture - oil!  Yes, you read that right.  It seems that the swamp land that surrounds Grace and Lucille's farm in Florida hides an enormous amount of the black gold - a face that Elinor conveniently reveals after she buys up all of that land and places it in equal shares among the family members.  No one ever really asks how Elinor is so sure there is oil there, but if there's one thing Miriam has learned over the years: she may never really have her mother's love, but she will always have her mother's truth - and if her mother says there is oil there, then she can be sure there is oil there.  And there is!  More oil than just one well could possible handle.  The Caskews suddenly find themselves overflowing with more money than they could ever possibly spend, including Queenie, who is unable to even fathom the amount of wealth that she now possesses.  With Billy expertly handling the family finances, and Miriam handling the business end of things, it seems life is perfect for the Caskews.  But with fortune, there is always a price to pay...

Frances finally gives birth - but knowing what she knows about the babies inside her, she sends everyone away except her mother and Zaddie, who has learned to keep silent regarding the things she sees and hears.  And this time she sees something beyond belief - for after giving birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl (Lilah), Frances then births a creature that is indescribable!  Of course, Elinor quickly hides that child, and she and Frances take it (her) down to the Perdido, where they set her free to live and grow in the muddy waters of the rushing river.  Frances thinks she is glad to give rid of the monstrosity, but soon finds herself longing to hold that daughter in her arms - and before long, Lilah is forgotten, and Frances must be with her child of the water, Nerita.  And when the unthinkable happens - another young child disappears under the waters of the Perdido, Frances comes to an unsettling truth about herself and her new daughter - and she makes a decision that will forever change the Caskew family.

Looking back at these first five books, I have to wonder why McDowell seems to utilize children as the feeding ground for his water creatures.  The mentally challenged youngster from the first book, whose death was so utterly tragic.  And now this innocent young child who should not have been swimming in the river in the first place with his friends.  And the graphic nature of these deaths (not graphic in the description, but in the actual death itself - I mean, in this book, Frances admits that her daughter took the boy and at part of him, but saved part of him for Frances - and she liked it!) makes it all the more difficult to read.  Perhaps that is the purpose - because the death of a rapist does not instill the same amount of fear as the death of an innocent child who cannot defend himself.  A rapist is seen as getting what he deserves.  But an innocent?  Particularly, a child?  That kind of death is horrific, and the fact that Elinor and Frances and, now, Nerita can literally murder a child without any guilt, without any mercy - well, that's the worst kind of horror there is.

The Caskew family has undergone so many changes throughout these first five books, and it was all setting the stage for the next, and final, chapter of the Blackwater series.  I can hardly wait to see what McDowell has in store for the big finale!

RATING:  9 barbecue-stained aprons out of 10 for proving once again the true horror does not have to be in-your-face or filled with insane amounts of blood-and-gore - rather, it can be the subtle build-up of tension and suspense, leaving you on the edge of your seat wondering what exactly is this all leading up to?

Short Lived Comic Series #20 - Tinsel Town (Alterna Comics)

I have seen the various series Alterna Comics publishes advertised in Previews often enough, but I've never purchased any or read any.  None of their comics have ever really stood out to me or caught my attention.  But a few months ago, I was at a small comic convention in St. Petersburg, and while combing through some $1 comic bins, I came across the complete 5-issue mini-series called Tinsel Town.  I had never heard of any of the creators - writer David Lucarelli, artist Henry Ponciano, and letterer HDE - but the covers featured a female police officer, and the first issue boasted the tagline, "She was a cop in the early days of Hollywood - - in a town where nothing was what it seemed!"  Now, anyone who knows me (or who has read this blog for any length of time) knows how much of a fan I am of comic books with female leads.  So, at only $5 for all five issues, I figured why not?  If it turned out to be a dud, I could simply pass them on to someone else.

Well, this series was anything BUT a dud!

Tinsel Town tells the story of Abigail Moore.  She is the daughter of a police officer who was killed in the line of duty.  She always looked up to him, so as and adult, she is determined to follow in his footsteps.  But in the early 20th Century, a woman becoming a police officer was not an easy task.  Abigail is about to give up hope when she spots an ad looking for both men and women in the police department at Utopia City Studios! This is her big chance, she thinks.  But Utopia City Studios is in the heart of Hollywood, and as we all know, in the city of make-believe, nothing is ever quite what it seems (as the cover tag so aptly warns...).

The first issue introduces readers to Abigail, giving us her complete backstory in just the first five pages (like comics used to do back in the day, instead of spreading out an origin story over 6-issues!).  Then Lucarelli and Ponciano begin telling the real story, as Abigail applies for the job at the movie studio, to discover that she is being hired less for any ability or desire she might to become a cop, but more for her appearance and how she will look in a tight skirt.  But Abigail is not one to give up easily, so she takes the job, determined to prove that she is up to the task.  Along the way, she makes new friends - Frankie, a young man with stars in his eyes hoping to get his big break and the unnamed seamstress in wardrobe who gives Abigail a few pointers about what her job is really about.  But, of course, there are always those jaded Hollywood types who are always sour and demeaning - such as Miss Redwood, the so-called "Chief" of Police and Abigail's boss ... Edward Coldwell, the man who runs the show.  "Walk around, smile, wink at the boys, and flirt with the men," they tell her.  Abigail begins to question her decision, but on her first day on the job, she comes face to face with a man prepared to jump off a water tower - she's a police officer, now, isn't she, so what is she going to do?

Beginning with issue 2, Abigail begins to really understand the meaning of the phrase, "everything is now what it seems."  A daring rescue turns out to be less of a rescue and more of a publicity stunt.  An escaped animal scares Abigail into firing her gun.  A raging fire has to be stopped to save a working man's job.  And an angry father bullying his son turns into an unexpected opportunity.  But that's when things take a more sinister turn.  All the fun and games are over, and the story becomes a lot darker as Abigail's friend, Betty, finds herself pregnant with a married man's child - and then she disappears.  Following her instincts, she tracks her down to a house of ill-repute, where Abigail is nearly killed.  When she discovers the dead body of her friend, Abigail becomes more determined than ever to find out what is really going on at Utopia City Studios, regardless of the danger.  In true police fashion, Abigail follows the clues and uncovers the truth about the plot to kill Mr. Coldwell and take over the studios - a plot that she risks everything to stop in order to save her boss from certain death!

The writing of this series is top-notch, and Lucarelli creates a believable world of make-believe with characters that are real and relatable.  Even the supporting cast comes alive within the story!  And Ponciano's art fits the time period, the story, and the characters perfectly.  This is a character and a story that I would absolutely love to see as an on-going series, as opposed to a couple of mini-series.  There are no super heroics, no over-the-top stories or characters, and no overly-sexualized women that you see in comics today.  There is just good storytelling with great art that draws you in and leaves you wanting for more.  This series is a prime example of what comics should be!   An online search reveals there was a second 5-issue mini-series published by Alterna in 2020 titled "Losing the Light," so I will be on the lookout for that.

 

Oh, and I should mention that the writer lets readers know on the first page of the first issue that this book and the character of Abigail are dedicated in loving memory to his mother, Miriam Lucarelli, who served as a police officer for more than 20 years!  I can't think of any better way to honor her than with this amazing series.

RATING:  10 cones of ice cream out of 10 for crafting a turn-of-the-century crime story with a new twist - and in the process, introducing the world to what a real hero looks like with Abigail Moore!

Nancy Drew Diaries, No. 23 - The Blue Lady of Coffin Hall

While the previous Nancy Drew book series, "Nancy Drew: Girl Detective," was his or miss, with more misses than hits, this newer series, the "Nancy Drew Diaries," has had more hits than misses - at least when it comes to plots.  The page count has gradually increased, allowing for a bit more depth to some of the mysteries, and the stories themselves have improved, moving away from the constant trope of sabotage in every book (although, to be fair, the Diaries have had their fair share of sabotage mysteries).  So, I go into each new Nancy Drew Diaries book with a bit of high hopes, and thankfully, it's only been a few times that I have been truly let down (such as with The Vanishing Statue...).  With this twenty-third book in the series, I was hopeful, as the mystery was set in a haunted library - what could be a better place for a mystery, right? Well...

The Blue Lady of Coffin Hall (such a unique title!) did not quite meet my expectations.  The premise was actually pretty good - the old mansion turned into a library at the bequest of its last owner is said to be haunted by the ghost of its last owner, Harriet Coffin (Harriet?  As in Harriet Stratemeyer?  It could be a nod to the woman who played such a large part of Nancy Drew's history, but then again, it could be a coincidence - after all, part of what helps Nancy solve all her mysteries are the coincidences!).  Nancy's boyfriend, Ned, who has his own podcast he called "NED Talks," wants to investigate the so-called ghost.  Weird things have been happening at Coffin Hall, and there have even been sightings of a glowing lady dressed all in blue.  Is it really Harriet Coffin, who disappeared all those years ago and was presumed dead?  Or is it something else entirely?  Nancy firmly believes the hauntings are all being perpetrated by a real person, but Ned has his doubts - particularly when he comes face-to-face with the blue lady of Coffin Hall!  Ned suddenly finds himself accused of damaging books and even setting fire to the special collections room that housed the library of Harriet Coffin - and it's up to Nancy to prove his innocence, reveal the truth behind the hauntings, and stop the ghost before any more destruction brings about the end of the library once and for all.

Now all of that sounds great, doesn't it?  But there are problems with the execution.  First, Ned's characterization is completely off.  Ned has always been strong, always one to follow Nancy's lead, and never one to give in to fantasies of ghostly apparitions.  Yet, in this book, Ned is weak-kneed and ready to believe in ghosts, despite Nancy's arguments regarding the inconsistencies with the ghost's appearances and the pranks being pulled at the library.  Instead of helping Nancy, he actually becomes more of a hindrance. Ned simply did not read like Ned at all in this story.  Second, the villains of this mystery are pretty obvious from the moment they first appear.  Sure, the motive may be a little less obvious, but their actions actually scream "I am the one doing all of this!"  I wanted to believe that the author was perhaps doing this to lead us astray, and there would be a twist at the end revealing someone else as the culprit - but, no, the author went with the overly-obvious choice, which lessened the impact of the mystery.  Third, there is very little danger in the story - pretty much no chapter cliffhangers at all.  Nancy Drew has always had a history of exciting chapter cliffhangers that would keep the reader going, unable to put the book down for fear that Nancy might not be able to escape from whatever predicament she found herself in at the end of each chapter!  But not in this book.  Despite the underground tunnel ... despite the dangerous work zone and construction equipment ... despite the dark basement with leaking pipes ... despite the tower room set ablaze ... despite a spooky old mansion turned into a library - I mean, this book was ripe with opportunities for some great cliffhanger moments!  Instead, we get Nancy's statements about what she intends to do next ... or Rosie complaining of more work she will have to do ... or Ned's mother making French toast ... or Nancy wondering if the ghost will appear.  Nothing to really make the reader say, "golly, I've got to start that next chapter and find out how Nancy's going to get out of this one!"  Such lackluster chapter endings takes the wind out of any suspense the author may have been trying to build in the story.  Fourth, and probably most disappointing, is the diary of Harriet Coffin.  The diary was written in code that no one seemed to be able to break, and from the beginning, George and Bess are determined to figure it out.  Nancy even believes it may hold a clue that will help solve the case.  Instead, the reader never actually sees the solution to the code - instead, it becomes an afterthought to the story.  Instead of playing any real part of the mystery, the author merely throws in a throw-away line in the post-script (Nancy's diary entry at the end of the book) saying that Bess and George cracked the code.  Do we find out what that code was and how they cracked it?  Nope. Instead, it's played off as if it has little importance to the story, other than to reveal the diary laid out Harriet's plan to elope and escape her family.

 

The book does make use of quite a bit of modern technology - from the podcasts of Ned and the security guard for the library, to the video cameras placed throughout the library to monitor for the ghost, to the live feed used on social media to use viewers to help watch for the ghost - Nancy Drew and her friends are definitely brought into the modern times with their ability to use the internet, live video feed, social media, and other modern wonders to help solve the mystery.  Oh, for the days before cell phones and personal home computers and the internet - in a lot of ways, it takes the fun out of the good, old-fashioned leg work that used to be required to solve a mystery.

And let's talk about that cover.  I have enjoyed the cover art by Erin McGuire on this series (even if Nancy does look at bit too young at times, and I do wish we saw others on the covers and not just Nancy), and the art on this one is actually pretty good.  The Gothic building, smoke pouring out the windows, Nancy running away with the open diary in her hand.  It is very reminiscent of the Gothic covers of the past, with the heroine running away from the dark mansion in the background. 

However, at the same time, the cover feels like a copy of the Nancy Drew mystery, The Clue in the Diary - which features Nancy in front of a burning building, either bending to pick up a diary or chasing after someone, the diary being dropped.  Not sure if it was intended to be an intentional homage to Diary (after all, this book also features a diary), or if it was a coincidence (there we go again!), or if it was simply copied from the earlier book.  Who knows, maybe I'm just looking too deep into something that isn't really there...

 

While I would not write the book off as a total failure, I definitely cannot count this as one of the better "Nancy Drew Diaries." The next book is titled Captain Stone's Revenge, with a cover showing Nancy in a sailboat during a storm - so perhaps we'll get a story with a bit more suspense and danger!

 

RATING:  5 chalky fingerprints out of 10 for at least providing a great setting and a promising premise, even if the follow-through fell somewhat short.

A Blake Harte Mystery, Book 9 - Atmosphere

If you love impossible mysteries, then you will absolutely enjoy the Blake Harte mystery series by Robert Innes.  From the very first book, I have gobbled up each and every mystery he has written, awed by Innes' ability to create crimes that seem ... well ... impossible!  From cars disappearing in tunnels to murders in locked rooms to a person drowning in an elevator to a dead person coming back to life.  Yet, Innes crafts these stories so well, and his detective, Blake Harte, has the perfect analytical mind to figure out exactly how each and every crime is committed.  In this ninth book, we get not a murder, but a magician's act whose assistant disappears in front of a live audience - literally!

Atmosphere is the ninth book in the series, and just when I think Innes could not possibly have any more ingenious ideas, he surprises me with another.  Harte and his partner, Harrison Baxter, are still dealing with the fall-out of their landlady's son trying to break up their relationship and Harte's ongoing nightmares about an incident that occurred when he was a child.  Harte is seeing a therapist, but he's not sure if talking about it will really help.  He's more anxious about his upcoming vacation to Manchester where he will be celebrating his best friend's thirtieth birthday party.  Everything in Harmschapel seems to be calm, so all he has to do is make it through the next week or so, and he'll be able to take a break from everything.  But, as always, fate has other plans...

The self-proclaimed great magician, Sebastian Klein, has come to Harmschapel to put on his magic show, along with his young daughter/assistant, Amelia, and his stagehand, Benjamin.  Harte is not exactly a huge fan of magicians, as his analytical mind can usually see through the tricks.  And when Klein asks Harte to watch what he claims is his greatest trick and see if he can figure it out, Harte can't resist.  Klein, of course, is none-too-thrilled when Harte is able to explain exactly how he makes his daughter disappear and then reappear in a large cabinet.  Harte promises to keep it quiet and not spoil the "magic" of it all for the people of Harmschapel who come to see the show.  The only problem is - when Klein perform the trick for the audience, something goes wrong and Amelia disappears for real!  But how is that possible, when Klein has installed a mirror above the stage so that the audience can see all angles of the cabinet to prove that no one enters or exits the cabinet during the trick.  So, if Amelia entered the cabinet but did not exit it, then where did she go?

It looks like another job for the master of solving impossible crimes!  Harte is back in his element trying to figure out exactly what happened to Amelia.  As he begins to look into the disappearance, he quickly discovers that nothing is what it seems with the magician and his crew.  Benjamin, the stage hand, seems quite disgruntled, so much so, that Klein fires him - but not before Benjamin threatens to expose the magician!  And Amelia may not be the shy little beauty that everyone saw on stage, for Harte soon discovers that she was seen at a strip club - and she was doing more than just taking off her clothes!  And what about Benjamin's claim that Klein was showing more than just fatherly love for his daughter?  And just how in the world does a local councilman figure into all of this?  Well, that's up to Harte to figure out.

Meanwhile, Harrison has his own little mystery to solve.  It seems Tom, the landlady's son, claims to be backing off of interest in Harrison and has promised to leave Harte alone; however, his mysterious phone calls, his intense secrecy about them, and his strange behavior, both towards his own mother and towards Harrison, gives Harte's partner reason to worry.  What is Tom up to?  And who is the mysterious "F" who keeps calling Tom?  Is it a new boyfriend, or is something much more sinister going on?

Innes provides a much darker mystery with this one, a mystery that delves into the darker side of humanity and the truly evil things people do.  At the same time, he continues building towards something big with the continuing subplot of Tom and his mysterious phone calls.  The next book is simply titled Harte, so I'm expecting all of the subplots to come to a conclusion with the 10th book, and we'll see just how Harte handles everything when it all comes to a head.

RATING:  10 cups of Horlick out of 10 for a mystery that is truly a mystery - no excessive foul language, no explicit or gratuitous sex, and no unnecessary hijinks - just great characterization, exceptional plotting, and fantastic mysteries!

"Crisis on Earth-C!" - a Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew Comic Event!

Okay, normally I don't do a review on this blog of a particular story from an ongoing comic book series - I either review an entire series or mini-series, or I review a graphic novel collection.  But I recently picked up this two-part story from a comic series that is one of my all-time favorite comic books, and after re-reading it, I just couldn't let it pass without sharing my thoughts of the story.  Ever a DC Comics fan, I instantly fell in love with whole multiverse idea after I read my very first Justice League / Justice Society crossover back in Justice League of America (vol. 1) #183-185 published in 1980.  I waited every year for that annual crossover to take place, just to see what other heroes they would team-up with, and I hunted through a myriad of comic book bins to find all of the previous crossover events from the past.  I mean, seriously - the JLA and JSA teamed-up with the Shazam family, the Freedom Fighters, the Seven Soldiers of Victory, the New Gods, the Legion of Super-Heroes, the stars of the Old West, and eventually even the All-Star Squadron in a huge five-part crossover that spanned two titles (Justice League of America and All-Star Squadron)!   So, you can imagine how geeked-out I became when this fun little title starring a group of funny animal super-heroes offered up its own take on this annual tradition!  It was like a dream come true for me!!!

Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew was a unique DC Comics title.  Yes, it was a super-hero title, but instead of featuring human or even alien super-heroes, the title featured a menagerie of funny animals with super-powers who come together to help save their world of animals from dangerous threats!  The feature first appeared in one of those special 16-page inserts that DC made popular during the early 1980s (in New Teen Titans #16) before spinning out into its own title a month later in the first issue of its own comic magazine.  The series featured Captain Carrot, a mild-mannered rabbit who ate radiated carrots to become the super-powered hero.  His Zoo Crew included the magic cat, Alley-Kat-Abra; the elongated Rubberduck; the speeding turtle, Fastback; the patriotic poodle, Yankee Poodle; and the nearly invulnerable Pig-Iron.  Together, this team fought villains such as Kongaroo, Frogzilla, Armordillo, Cold Turkey, The Screeching Tire, and so many others.  It was all in good fun, and the stories were filled with numerous puns that made you laugh or groan (or both!).  

But it was issues 14 and 15 that truly sealed this series as one of my all-time favorites.  Throughout the series, Roger Rodney Rabbit was a cartoonist who drew a comic called "Just'a Lotta Animals" (a/k/a the JLA), starring characters such as Super Squirrel, Wonder Wabbit, Aquaduck, The Batmouse, Green Lambkin, and the Crash.  But they were just comic book characters.  Weren't they?  Well, in the tradition of Gardner Fox's famous "Flash of Two Worlds" story, the Zoo Crew discovers that the JLA is not just a comic book - they are actual super heroes who live on an alternate Earth!  (Since the Zoo Crew's Earth was designated Earth C, what else would the JLA Earth be but Earth C-Minus!)  In a twist of fate, Captain Carrot meets his own creation, Super Squirrel, along with the rest of the Zoo Crew and the Just'a Lotta Animals in order to fight the combined villainy of Amazoo, Shaggy Dog, Feline Faust, Armordillo, Digger O'Doom, and Dr. Hoot!  It was a two-issue extravaganza in the tradition of all of the JLA/JSA crossovers that saw the teams divide up to conquer the villains, with members of CCAHAZC teaming up with members of the JLA.  Plenty of super fights, plenty of super puns, and plenty of good-old fashioned funny animal super-hero fun!  I think these two issues are probably the best example of just how much fun comics can be and still tell great heroic stories.

What I found so interesting about this crossover is that according to Roy Thomas, who co-created the Zoo Crew with artist Scott Shaw!, Captain Carrot was not the actual original idea for the series.  Originally, according to Thomas, the idea was to do a Super Squirrel and the Just'a Lotta Animals comic as a take-off of the Justice League series.  Due to legal issues surrounding the human counterparts to the Just'a Lotta Animals characters, they could not move forward with a comic headlining that particular group, so Thomas and Shaw! re-thought the entire idea and came up with Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew (and the "JLA" team was relegated to being a comic within the comic).  And since Thomas admits to being a fan of the Julius Schwartz and Gardner Fox stories about the heroes of alternate Earths teaming-up, it was inevitable that the Zoo Crew would meet the "JLA" at some point.   Sadly, Captain Carrot's regular series did not last more than 20 issues (not counting the 3-issue Oz/Wonderland War that came after), so fans like me did not get to see an annual team-up like their human counterparts had.  (Imagine - they could have teamed up with the "JSA" - Just Some Animals ... or the Legion of Super Pets ... or even the New Dogs!  Sigh, oh, what could have been ... )

There was so much fun packed into these two issues, but two scenes that really stood out for me, and which I have always remembered all these years are:

 

 

(1) page 6 of issue 14. which featured a full page panel showcasing the entire membership of the "JLA," which included the main members mentioned above, plus The Martian Anteater, Rat Tornado, Elong-Gator, Zap-Panda, Hawkmoose, Stacked Canary, Green Sparrow, Firestork, and the Item!  If that page does not make you want to see a regular ongoing "JLA" series, then there must be something wrong with you!  The possibilities are endless!!!  and

 

(2) page 4 of issue 15, which found the Zoo Crew and "JLA" hurtling from world to world, trying to make their way to the Earth C-Minus ... jumping from a world that appears to be the happiest place on Earth (they could not exactly say "Disney" without being sued, I'm sure!) ... to a wacky world resembling the art of Salvador Doggi ... to a world of cat chasing mouse (a la Tom and Jerry) ... to a very familiar world featuring a certain team of Golden Age heroes and their young generation of new heroes - yes, that's right, the Justice Society of America appeared on panel 5 of this page, as drawn by Jerry Ordway, in which Power Girl makes it clear that "I don't care if it is an annual tradition! I'm not working with a team of funny animals!"  (Oh, to just imagine it - a Justice League / Justice Society / Zoo Crew team-up!!!!!)

Even as I write this blog post, I find myself with a huge grin on my face, smiling at the thought of the story, the characters, and the outright fun I had reading these issues.  This, my friends, is what comic book reading should be all about!  FUN!  I think it has been missing in comics for far too long, and it's probably one of the main reasons why I find myself gravitating more and more towards the comics of yester-year.  This book never took itself seriously, it poked fun at just about everything and everyone, including comics themselves, and yet it paid homage to such seminal stories as the JLA/JSA crossovers that had become such an important part of the Justice League of America title.  Later versions of Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew missed the mark completely, never being able to capture the essence of what Roy Thomas and Scott Shaw! had created with the original run.  You may never truly be able to go home again, as the saying goes, but that doesn't mean you can't re-read these fantastically fun antics of the best funny animal super-hero team every created!  And believe me, re-read them I do!

 

RATING:  10 crisis crossovers out of 10 for reminding me that comic books can be fun and truly, spectacularly good at the same time and warming my heart with characters and stories that I absolutely love reading again and again and again and again and ... well, you get the picture!

Penny Parker Mystery Stories No. 1 - Tale of the Witch Doll

I have had all but one of the Penny Parker Mystery Stories for quite some time (still trying to get a copy of that last book in dust jacket at a reasonable price!), but I've never sat down to read any of them.  Published from 1939 to 1947, the series was written by Mildred A. Wirt (the ghostwriter for many of the original Nancy Drew Books, as well as some of the Dana Girls, Kay Traceys, Doris Forces, among others).  There were seventeen books in the series, and it is rumored that a manuscript or outline and notes for an eighteenth book exists, but as the saying goes, "seeing is believing."  I've heard mixed reviews from other collectors - some love it, some hate it, and very few fall in-between.  Recently, the group of friends that I meet with on a regular basis to read and discuss children's series books decided to start reading the Penny Parker books, beginning with book one and then alternating with Nancy Drew books until we finish the 17-book series (so I guess I'd better get looking to find that last book, eh?).

Tale of the Witch Doll is the first Penny Parker mystery, and in it, Mildred Wirt introduces readers to Penny and her best friend Louise Sidell, who are sophomores at Riverview High.  Readers also meet Penny's father, Anthony Parker, who is the editor of the Riverview Star, one of the town's newspapers, as well as Mrs. Weems, the Parker family's housekeeper, who has helped care for the Parker household ever since Mrs. Parker died.  There are a number of similarities between Penny Parker and Nancy Drew, particularly the Nancy Drew of the late 1930s and early '40s.  Penny and Nancy both have blond hair, they both have widower fathers who are highly respected professionals with a more-than-comfortable income; they both have a live-in housekeeper that has helped the family since the missus died and always worries about the young detective; they both have a penchant for stumbling across mysteries and a determination to help those in need; and they both are unafraid to put themselves in danger to get to the bottom of a mystery!  By 1939, Wirt had already written 12 of the first 15 Nancy Drew books, so perhaps Penny Parker was a way for Wirt to write the character without any of the restrictions placed upon her by the Stratemeyer Syndicate (since this was a self-created, non-Stratemeyer character).

In any event, I found this story to be just as, if not more, enjoyable than many of those early Nancy Drew books.  As with the Nancy Drew books, the action starts pretty much from the get-go.  Penny and her friend, Louise, are at the community pool practicing their dives (and, since Wirt herself was an expert diver, Penny's dive is described in great detail), following which they had to a local doll store so that Louise can pick up a doll her mother has asked her to purchase for a local family that is destitute.  But upon arrival at the doll store, they discover it is in a disarray, with a broken glass counter and numerous destroyed dolls!  Nellie Marble owns the business, and she is devastated by what has happened - more than $100 worth of damage (by 1939 standards, which would equate to approximately $2,000 in today's money).  It is interesting to note that Penny says she looks forward to speaking with Nellie again, as se hadn't seen her since the other girl graduated; however, Nellie is said to be 22 years old, meaning she would have graduated four years prior - and if Penny and Louise were currently sophomores, then they would have been only sixth graders when Nellie graduated!  Hard to imagine sixth graders running in the same circles as seniors back then!  Anyway, Nellie reveals to the girls that she is considering selling the business to an elderly woman who has been making offers to buy the store - but Penny convinces her to hold off.  Conveniently enough, the old woman (Mrs. Farmer) shows up while Penny and Louise are there, making another overture at buying the store.  Penny gets an odd feeling about the woman, and she thinks there is more going on that what appears!

Wirt doesn't stop there when it comes to this mystery.  No, after leaving the doll shop, Penny and Louise find themselves helping another person in need when they witness a car being run off the road!  They stop to assist, and end up helping an actress get to the theater in time for her show to start - she can't be late, as she is the star dancer for the show!  Penny gets her to the show, where she meets the dancer's new maid, Felice, who is anything but friendly and helpful.  And that's when Helene Harmon gets a gift - an ugly witch doll with a cryptic note that she will never be able to give it away!  Felice thinks it is a bad omen, but Miss Harmon is instead inspired to create a new dance based on the horrid doll.  Penny, meanwhile, has some suspicions about the doll, as the box it came in is identical to the boxes used by Nellie Marble at her doll shop.  Thus, as the reader can see, the mystery in this book is going to be a lot more complex than just a simple breaking and entering at a doll shop!

And that is one of the things I loved about this mystery - it is not a simple mystery about someone trying to sabotage poor Nellie's doll shop; nor is it simply a strange admirer of the famous dancer sending her strange gifts.  There is so much more to the story, and Wirt holds nothing back.  The prophecy about not being able to give the doll away comes true, instilling a sense of fear and dread in the actress, to the point where she considers giving up her "witch" dance.  Nellie disappears and the rude old Mrs. Farmer takes over the doll shop.  And just how does the mysterious medium, Melvin Osandra, and his hunchback assistant fit into all of this?  One would think with so many elements to the story, a reader could get lost in it - but Wirt seamlessly ties everything together, and by the end of the book, it all makes sense!  She even places some foreshadowing in the book with a seemingly throw-away remark from Penny that "Slavery went out of vogue directly after the Civil War" (p. 120) - which comes into play near the end, when Penny and Louise discover an underground tunnel that was used by abolitionists back in the day to help get runaway slaves to freedom!  Of course, the tunnel is now being used by the villainous ne'er-do-wells in this story, who leave Penny and some others in the tunnel to face a bleak fate!

One thing that I think Wirt did right with Penny Parker is that, despite all of the similarities to Nancy Drew, Wirt kept Penny grounded with a limitation on her money and freedom.  Penny does not have an unlimited supply of funds and must carefully watch her every penny, and she is dependent on the allowance she receives from her father every Thursday (p. 33).  She is not above washing her own car (p. 41) or evening siphoning gas out of her father's car when she has no money to fill her own tank (p. 122)!  And when Penny and Louise discover a blue silk purse with $5 in it in the back seat of Penny's car with, Penny comments about what a large sum of money that is (p. 42-43).  Thus, Penny Parker is a character that readers can more readily identify with, since those of us in the real world at her age would have faced the same limitations.

In 1958, this book (along with books 2, 3, and 4) were re-published with new cover art, new frontis piece art, and slightly revised text (to update monetary amounts and such).  Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of the revised cover art.  Penny and Louise look so much younger in these new covers, and the scenes depicted are nowhere near as "spooky" or "mysterious" as the original covers.  The revised frontis piece art, however, is definitely a step up from the originals, which have more of a cartoon or caricature feel to them.  A very dear friend of mine*** who had contact with Mildred Wirt over the years, shared a letter that Wirt wrote to Platt & Munk Co. in October 1979 after they apparently reached out to her about updating the books for re-publication.  Wirt indicated if the revisions were to be simple changes for the better (such as revising stiffness in conversation, wordiness and elaborate sentence structure, and updating transportation, inflation, and technology, it would be possible; but to recopy each story and change basic plot or subject matter would be "most difficult" and "quite an undertaking" (giving the idea that she wasn't interested in putting that kind of effort into it).  However, her letter references the fact that she did re-read Tale of the Witch Doll the night before she wrote the letter, and thought "kids still may like it.  Definitely it's melodramatic in the old Edward Stratemeyer style, but it does have strong suspense and that was what kept them reading."  I would certainly agree with her statement about this first Penny Parker book - it kept me reading!  (Sadly, though, the updating and reprinting of the Penny Parker series in 1979 or the early 1980s never happened.)

While I have heard others say that this book was not the best one to start the Penny Parker series, I would have to disagree.  I think Wirt did a superb job of introducing her main character and supporting cast with a suspenseful, well-plotted mystery that keeps the reader's attention, and it definitely left me wanting to read more of Penny's adventures!

RATING:  10 missing necklaces out of 10 for a fantastic start to a children's mystery series and the fabulous introduction of a new young amateur sleuth!

***SPECIAL THANKS to Geoffrey Lapin for sharing the letter that Mildred Wirt gave him, preserving such a wonderful piece of history regarding children's series books and the things that could have been!