Sgt. Rock vs. the Army of the Dead - a DC Comics mini-series

I've been a comic book fan since ... well, I'm not going to say the year, but I will say that my first comic that I purchased off the spinner rack at a convenience store while on vacation in Florida was Super Friends no. 28 (I'll let you figure it out).  From that first comic book, I was hooked.  I had a hunger for more, so I started buying pretty much anything on the racks - from super hero to horror ... from 48-page dollar comics to regular sized 40 cent comics ... from new series hitting the stands to series that had been around since the 1940s.  But in all this time, the one genre of comics that has never really interested me is war comics.  I never bought DC's G.I. Combat or the Unknown Soldier or Marvel's Howling Commandos series.  They were just comics that I never had any desire to read.

Now, that being said, flash forward to 2022.  By now, I have been a long-time fan of horror movies, and I enjoyed Bruce Campbell in the first Evil Dead movie.  The second movie was alright, but felt like nothing more than a rehash of the first film.  The third film?  Well, the less said about that, the better.  But when I heard that Bruce Campbell was going to write a DC comic starring Sgt. Rock, where he and his "Easy Company" battled an army of the living dead, well, I figured I'd give it a try.  After all, with a title like Sgt. Rock vs. the Army of the Dead, there was bound to be some great horror tropes involved, right?

As is the case with most mini-series now, I purchase all of the issues, then I sit down and read the entire story (so that I'm not waiting month after month just to get the next chapter - yes, I know I could wait and buy the trade paperback collected edition, but I prefer the single issues).  Since the sixth and final issue of this mini-series came out not long ago, I had the opportunity to sit down and read the story.  I was expecting some violent and bloody battles (I mean, this is war and all, right?), and Campbell did not disappoint.  What he did disappoint on, however, was the story itself.

I am somewhat familiar with Sgt. Rock and the Easy Company, as they have made some appearances in comics I have read over the years (Brave and the Bold, Crisis on Infinite Earths, the DC Holiday specials, etc.).  But I have never really gotten to know any of the characters, per se, and so I thought with this mini-series, there might be some character development that would give me an idea of who the members of the Easy Company were.  Well, that is far from the case.  In fact, not even Sgt. Rock himself gets any character development in this story.  From the first page of the first issue to the last page of the sixth issue, I did not get to know any of the Easy Company - in fact, I honestly could not tell you any of their names or what their personalities may be like.  I only know that Sgt. Rock himself was willing to sacrifice himself at the end in order to put a stop to Hitler's army of the dead.

Honestly, I tried to like the story.  I really did.  But with each issue, I became less and less invested in the tale, and by the sixth issue, I was simply reading it to get to the end of the story.  For example, the first issue has 22 pages of story and art - yet, it feels like there is only  few moments of actual story.  The reader is introduced to Dr. Morell, who is heading up the "Regeneration Plan" for Hitler ... we see a zombie attack at night ... Sgt. Rock and his Easy Company get charged with the mission of stopping Dr. Morell ... and a zombie awakens at the end, prepared to fight for Hitler's army.  All of this could have happened in the span of ten pages or less.  From that point forward, the remaining five issues are nothing more than fighting zombies page after page, panel after panel.  The reader does not connect with or get any real information on the characters themselves, and even Dr. Morell feels like a cardboard stereotype doctor who, when he is killed, gives the reader no sense of satisfaction.  Even Hitler's desire to be made stronger and for the doctor to accelerate the doses of serum feels stereotypical.

The art is not bad, in and of itself, but the coloring makes it difficult to read.  The constant dark blue, black, dark purple, and dark green hues tend to distract from any definition of characters and backgrounds in each panel - while I understand the coloring was likely to reflect the night scenes of the battles, it did not do any justice to Eduardo Risso's art.  And with this being a DC Horror comic (which, I'm guessing, is akin to the new Black Label line of comics), I had assumed there would be more graphic kills - but, instead, many of the zombie kills are subdued by the constant dark coloring of the panels

If you like pointless battles with absolutely no characterization and very little plot, then this comic is for you.  And, hey, I won't knock you for it - I mean, after all, everyone has their own tastes in storytelling, and what one person enjoys, another does not.  This comic was definitely not for me.  The only really good thing I can say about this series are the covers - Gary Frank's covers are beautifully rendered - if the interior colors had been as vibrant as those on the covers, I may have had a little more interest in the story.

Oh, well, as the saying goes, you win some, you lose some.  At $3.99 an issue for six issues, I definitely lost some this time around.

RATING:  2 appointments with the grim reaper out of 10 simply for pitting Sgt. Rock and his team against an entirely different kind of enemy to battle on the warfront.

The Sixth Veronica Speedwell Mystery - An Impossible Imposter

It's been a while since I last visited with Veronica Speedwell and her paramour, Revelstoke Templetone-Vane (otherwise known as "Stoker"). I have been enjoying the adventures of Veronica and Stoker, from their first meeting in A Curious Beginning to their last book where they faced An Unexpected Peril.  Author Deanna Raybourn has taken these two on a turbulent journey, and they have certainly had their ups and downs - but here we are at book seven, and the two have finally reached a comfortable place in their relationship.  While each book features a fascinating (and fun!) mystery, it also allows the reader to follow along at the budding romance between the two lead characters.  So, it should be no surprise to anyone that I've been rooting for these two to get together.  But, as with any good drama, it's only a matter of time...

An Impossible Imposter opens innocently enough - and uniquely! Veronica and Stoker are headed home on a train ... with a baby!  Yes, you read that right.  A baby! Don't worry, though, you didn't miss anything.  The baby is not theirs.  No, they are simply bringing the baby home to its mother, a woman who could not acknowledge the baby as her own, being unwed, and so Veronica and Stoker had to facilitate a plan that would allow the world to think the woman was adopting the child and caring for it as if it were her own (all the while knowing it was her own!).  A rather odd beginning to a rather odd story.

Before you know it, Sir Hugo Montgomerie appears, asking Veronica to help him out with a private matter.  It seems a family with whom he is acquainted has a delicate situation for which they need some assistance - the Hathaway family has recently been surprised by the unexpected appearance of the first born son, who has been thought dead for over five years.  Jonathan Hathaway.  A man who Veronica happens to know.  Or knew.  She recalls that he died when a volcano erupted near Sumatra.  So, how then does a dead man suddenly reappear to his family?  Well, that is the very question Montgomerie would like Veronica to answer.  Thus, she and Stoker head off to the family estate, Hathaway Hall, so Veronica can see the young man for herself.  Only, Jonathan Hathaway is not the only thing "off" about this family.

Lady Hathaway may be old, but she still knows how to maintain a presence.  But her days as lady of the manor are numbered, as the current wife of her second child, Charles Hathaway, is determined to supplant her an fully take over the house.  And what Mary Hathaway wants, Mary Hathaway gets - including the suppression of Charles' younger sister's desires to study astronomy.  Euphemia wants to follow in her grandfather's footsteps, but Mary will not hear of it.  And then there's Jonathan Hathaway - the formerly deceased, now very much alive first son.  Who just so happens to be an imposter.  Oh, and did I mention that the imposter happens to be Veronica's husband?

Yes, this story definitely takes our favorite sleuthing duo on a lot of unexpected twists and turns (and you thought the last book placed them in unexpected situations!).  Veronica believed her husband dead, killed in the same volcanic explosion as Jonathan Hathway.  How was she to know he was still alive?  And how in the world can she explain this to Stoker?  Or will she be blackmailed into remaining silent to keep the imposter from revealing to the world Stoker's own secrets?  And what about that pesky little Eye of the Dawn jewel that is stolen from Lady Hathaway's chest of jewels?  Did the imposter take it?  Has Veronica been taken in by the imposter's lies yet again?  And will she and Stoker help him when the villains chasing after him show up at their doorstep, demanding the Eye of the Dawn in exchange for their own lives?

While there is no murder to solve in this book, Raybourn does not disappoint with a well-plotted mystery that has plenty of surprising twists.  This impossible imposter is definitely not who he appears to be, and the reader will find himself or herself constantly questioning what to trust and what not to trust.  But the story is thoroughly engaging, and the sudden appearance of Veronica's husband will certainly bring about some changes - whether they are good or bad, well, that remains to be seen.

A few elements of the story I did figure out, and I admittedly loved the "Baskervilles"-type setting (complete with the bog and the ghostly apparitions); but the constant questioning of Jonathan Hathaway's real identity, real motives, and his ultimate goal definitely kept me turning page after page.  Raybourn knows how to create suspense, and it's one of the reasons I love this series so much!  Can't wait for the next one to come out in paperback!

RATING:  10 Tasmanian tigers out of 10 for mystery, suspense, ghosts, imposters, and go many other Gothic elements that I can't help but love the story!

Friday Barnes, Never Fear

At long last, we reach the final book in the Friday Barnes series - well, it was originally the final book.  Then, suddenly, I found on Amazon listings for books 9 ... and 10 ... and 11!!!!  The series suddenly got new life breathed into it, as author R.A. Spratt decided to continue beyond this eighth book!  I, for one, am ecstatic, as I have thoroughly enjoyed this series.  Friday Barnes is a unique character - a cross between Sheldon Cooper and Nancy Drew, with a bit of Monk and Columbo thrown in for good measure.  There is always plenty of humor, plenty of surprises, and plenty of mystery - and Spratt manages to end every book with a cliffhanger that leaves you breathlessly waiting for the next book to find out what is going to happen next.

Friday Barnes, Never Fear picks up right where the last one left off - with Friday being advanced from year 8 to year 12, meaning that soon she will graduate, leaving her friends and boyfriend (?!) behind! With a brand new headmaster, a revelation that the school could be hiding a treasure in gold, a famous author living anonymously in the woods outside the school, and a long-awaited first kiss (yes, you read that right!  Friday and Ian FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! kiss), this book is chock full of fun and, as usual, there are plenty of mysteries, both big and small, for our sleuth to solve. Plus, readers begin to see the character growth in Friday, as she realizes just how much she has come to depend on her friendship with Melanie and exactly what it is that she feels for Ian.  The sudden displacement from year 8 to year 12, some would say, is a good thing for the character, because what's the old saying?  You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone?!

The overall mystery involves the discovery that there could very well be gold hidden somewhere on the school grounds, put there by the school's founder many years ago.  There is also the subject of Dr. Belcredi, the new headmaster at the school.  Friday suspects something is off, because the woman is just too perfect - her credentials are impeccable, her desire to help the school and the students are too altruistic, and her seeming desire to rid the school of Friday doesn't help either.  So, when Friday's uncle reports that a background check reveals that Dr. Belcredi's CV is full of lies - none of the schools she lists have ever had a student by her name there! - Friday knows there is more than meets the eye for this new headmaster.

But, as any fan of this series knows, it's not the big mysteries that make these books so much fun to read.  It's those little mini-mysteries that Friday solves along the way that prove to be hilarious and show just how incredibility intelligent and observant our Miss Barnes truly is!  From figuring out why the former headmaster's blood sugar levels keep spiking at the hospital to revealing why Mirabella's clothes are making her think she's gaining weight to explaining why Ian could not possibly have been cheating on his exam to teaching the science teacher a thing or two about why the custodian's truck isn't starting to determining just what happened to the recluse author's toilet paper - the quick little minute-mysteries are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

Because this was originally the final book in the series, the resolution to the "big" mystery, as well as the ending to this book, is actually rather different from those that have come before.  While there is a mild cliffhanger, it is not one that leaves you hanging; rather, it is one that makes you wistful and provides a beautiful "happily ever after" that is to come ... sort of open-ended, while still providing resolution.  And that hidden stash of gold?  Well, let's just say the answer to that truly does bring this series full circle!  And, lest we forget our dear Dr. Belcredi - Friday was right that nothing is what it seems with this woman, and Friday is definitely in for a surprise when she finds out the truth of what the good doctor is up to and how her plans will affect Friday's future!

Overall, another great read, but I will readily admit I am VERY thankful this is not the final Friday Barnes mystery.  This series, and this character, is just way too good not to keep going, and I already have book 9 on my stack of books to read, and will eventually add books 10 and 11 (and hopefully one day 12, 13, 14, and beyond if Spratt keeps them going!).

RATING:  10 old mining carts out of 10 for wrapping up the first chapter of Friday Barnes' adventures with some fun-filled mysteries and unexpected surprises!

Penny Parker Mystery Stories No. 6 - The Secret Pact

I do have to say, I love the fact that with her Penny Parker series, Mildred Wirt (Benson) decided to take the less-traveled road and give her mysteries names that were not the standard "Mystery of the..." or "Secret in the..." or "Clue of the..." (although, admittedly, book 5 did fall back on that standard way of naming children's mysteries - but we can overlook that one title).  From tales of witch dolls to vanishing houseboats, to dangerous drawbridges, to green doors hiding big secrets - this series has been a lot of fun to read, and the title character is strong-willed, high-spirited soul who definitely goes after what she wants!  And in this sixth book, Penny Parker definitely shows just how demanding she can be when it comes to solving a mystery and getting a story!

The Secret Pact opens in a rather different way.  Often, Wirt's books (and most children's mysteries from this era) seem to begin with some sort of dialogue - whether it's the protagonist of the book making some important observation ("It would be a shame if all that money went to the Tophams!" is the first that comes to mind) or one of the main character's friends exclaiming in surprise.  But the opening lines to this book immediately set a mood, drawing the reader into an almost Gothic setting that makes one what dark secrets will be revealed in this book!

A BLANKET of fog, thick and damp, swirled about the decks of the excursion steamer, Goodtime, cautiously plying its course down the river.  At intervals, above the steady throb of the ship's engines, a fog horn sounded its mournful warning to small craft. (The Secret Pact, p. 1)

Wirt definitely chose her words carefully here - the "thick and damp" fog swirling about the deck invokes images of perhaps the cold, dark streets of London as dusk is settling ... the steamer "cautiously" plying its course provides readers with a sense of foreboding, that the ship has to be cautious, for something is about to happen ... the "steady throb" of the ship's engines could easily be the sound of that tell-tale heart that Poe so vividly write about ... the "mournful warning" of the fog horn conjures up feelings of loneliness and sadness ... with just two sentences, Wirt prepares her readers for the story that is to come!

Now sure, the mystery has plenty of Penny's regular go-get 'em antics - but the supporting characters this time have a level of sadness and misfortune that were not seen in the first five books of this series.  You've got Tillie Fellows, who Penny and Louise meet as the steamer docks - described as an "– “unattractive picture, for her blouse was wrinkled and her skirt was spotted with an ugly coffee stain.  Beneath a brown, misshapen roll-brim hat hung a tangle of brown hair" (p. 5), Tillie has her purse stolen as she is waiting to disembark, and with it the only money she has left (amounting to $12, she tells Penny on page 5 - which would equate to nearly $245 in today's dollar).  This sets the mystery in motion, for soon enough, Penny and Louise also witness a young woman they had seen on the steamer walk over to the river and drop a bag into the water (p. 8).  Penny, being the inquisitive creature she is, runs over to get the bag before it goes under - only to see "[t]hrough the opening protruded a long strand of dark hair" (p. 9), which causes Louise to scream!  If you are like me, then you immediately realized that Penny and Louise thought perhaps they had found a severed head, which is a pretty gruesome thing to even hint at in a children's mystery (although, that being said, it would fit perfectly with the Gothic theme that seems to be developing in the story...).  Of course, it turns out not to be a head, but rather, a wig, a dark veil, and a cheap jacket (p. 10), which all evidence the woman was in disguise on the boat (another Gothic element, people pretending to be something or someone they are not!).

 

The story then heats up, for Jerry Livingston picks up Penny at the waterfront, and as they are taxiing to her father's newspaper, they witness a man being pushed over a bridge (p. 15).  The man is rescued by a passing ship, and Jerry and Penny happen to see that the man has a huge tattoo on his back of an octopus (p. 18) with the word "ALL" between the two foremost arms (p. 19).  Now, at this point, we have a stolen purse, a woman in disguise, and a man with a tattoo pushed off a bridge - all seemingly unconnected, but anyone who reads series books for any length of time will know that they eventually all intertwine into one big mystery - and this book is no different!

 

Penny manages to talk her way into using the abandoned building that used to house the Morning Press, Riverview's competing newspaper, completely rent free (only in a series book!), and she begins her own newspaper career with The Weekly Times!  Of course, she has some mishaps, including a jealous editor from the high school paper who changes one letter of that title just before the first issue goes to press, causing Penny's paper to be The Weakly Times (p. 53) - as beautifully rendered by K. Woerner in the frontis piece.  This, of course, gets corrected, with Penny's first front page story being about the man pushed over the bridge and his strange tattoo.  Well, this starts the dominoes falling, as a man named Peter Fenestra shows up at the newspaper wanting to know more about this man.  The pace moves along faster as Mr. Parker buys a cottage on Big Bear River, which happens to be neighbors with Peter Fenestra's property - and the man Mr. Parker hires to take care of the cottage (Anchor Joe) happens to have an  octopus tattoo on his back, with the word "ONE" in between the arms (p. 79).  Not long thereafter, wanting to know more about tattoos, Penny interviews a local tattoo artist who reveals he is working to remove a tattoo for one of his customers - a tattoo of an octopus with the words "FOR ONE" between the arms (pp. 135-36).  That customer just happens to be Peter Fenestra (p. 176).  The mystery eventually comes together, as Penny learns that Fenestra has been up to no good - not only cheating his former sailing partners out of the gold they stole, but also blackmailing the former owner of the Morning Press (whose daughter just happened to be the one with the disguise Penny saw on the steamer!).  Penny, with the help of Jerry Livingston, puts a stop to Fenestra's plans and helps out poor Tillie, as well as Old Horney (that's a whole 'nother story that you'll have to read the book to find out about!).  As usual, all's well that ends well!

 

There are a number of interesting tidbits to note in this book.  The first is the name "Fenestra."  This is actually a Latin word, which means "window" and is used in the biological sciences to describe a small opening or pore.  I thought this was an interesting choice for the last name, since Peter Fenestra has a storm cellar on his property, with a small door that he keeps padlocked to keep people out - the cellar turns out to have a contraption inside (underground) that he has been using to melt the stolen gold so he can use it without people knowing where he got it.

 

Another thing is where Wirt has the tattoo artist make a passing comment to Penny about how the King of England paid $50 to get his tattoo, while he was only being paid $1 to provide tattoos in Riverview.  It turns out that King George V, before he was crowned king, actually did get some tattoos when he was visiting Japan in 1881 - a dragon and a tiger tattooed on his arms, purportedly chosen to represent the East and the West.  I honestly had not thought a simple comment written in passing like that would have actual historical truth to it - just goes to show that Wirt infused reality into her stories in some of the strangest places.

 

A couple of odd things I noticed - first, when Penny and Louise meet Tillie and discover her purse is stolen, Penny hands her $5, which Louise mentions is Penny's weekly allowance (pp. 6-7).  That $5 in 1941 is comparable to $102 in today's dollar value!  That's quite a hefty sum that Penny was getting for an allowance, and quite a large amount of money for her to just hand over to Tillie!  Obviously, Penny and her father must have considerable money, because later in the book, Mr. Parker thinks nothing of writing a check to Penny for $100 to help her get the things she needs to start her newspaper - because $100 in 1941 would be comparable to $2,100 today!  I certainly wish my father was willing to just write checks like that to me!

 

Something else that was odd is that when Penny learns that the men with the octopus tattoos all sailed about the same ship, the Dorasky, she composes a letter to that steamship and mails it off to learn more about the men (p. 141). Other than Penny mentioning that she sent off a letter (p. 157), there is no further mention of that mailing.  Penny gets no response, and she never wonders what happened to her request.  I was thinking she would get a response back and that would be the clue she needed to connect all of the men to the stolen gold; but, instead, it is a plot element that simply gets dropped and never mentioned again.  That is unlike Wirt to introduce something like this without following up on it.

 

One more thing is poor Matthew Judson, who used to own the Morning Press.  His story is a sad one involving a dying wife, a desperate crime, and a secret he is hiding from his daughter.  I was actually shocked when he admits to Penny that if it weren't for his daughter, "I probably would end it all!" (p. 89)  I can't recall any series book that ever actually presented the thought of suicide in such a blunt way, and I'm rather surprised Wirt actually used this extreme measure in the book, even if were only hinted at and not actually followed through with.

 

One final thought - the story has some elements that appear in other books written by Wirt.  For example, Tillie Meadows being stranded without any money and no place to go is similar to the poor young girl the Gibsons meet in Crimson Cruiser, who is out of money, stranded with no place to go. The fact that Riverview is located on the bank of the Big Bear River is interesting, as that is the same river that can be found in Wirt's Ghost Gables!  The drama of Pauletta Judson (the daughter of the owner of the Morning Press), who does not want to marry the man her father has picked for her, and so she disguises herself and secretly goes on the steamer is reminiscent of the story of Doris in The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk.  And at the end, when Penny gets trapped in her father's office while Fenestra sets the building on fire, it reminded me of the scene in The Vanishing Houseboat, where Penny and Louise are trapped above the laundromat while it is set on fire.

 

(Okay, okay, one truly last thing....) There is a sweet moment at the end, when Mr. Parker realizes his building is damaged because of the fire and he won't be able to put out a special edition of the Star with the events of this book.  Penny humbly gives him the Press building she has been using for her own paper (p. 205), but she is surprised when the paper comes off the presses with the Weekly Times banner (p. 207)!  This kind of happy (sappy?) ending definitely reminded me of The Gift of the Magi (sort of), in that Penny and her father both sacrificed their own success for the benefit of the other!  Definitely a wonderful way to end this tale.

 

There's obviously tons more that could be discussed about this book.but we would not want to spoil everything for you, otherwise, you'd have no reason to go out and read the book for yourself!

 

RATING:  10 terrifying tornado storms out of 10 for a fantastic tale that provides newspaper publishing details, shoot-outs on the riverbank, and a ever-so-sweet budding relationship between Jerry and Penny!

Mary Perkins, On Stage - Volume Five

It's time to return to the wonderful world of Mary Perkins, that young actress who is slowly making a name for herself in the New York theater world.  As we enter volume five of this collection, Mary Perkins is married to journalist Pete Fletcher, and her acting career has really taken off.  She and Pete have certainly had their fair share of adventures, dangers, and exciting dramas (definitely more off-stage than on!), but they have always managed to not only survive, but come out stronger on the other side.  And along the way, they usually manage to help the unfortunate, revive failed careers, and restore lost loved ones.  It is in this volume that Mary also gets her due, as the title to the newspaper strip changes from simply On Stage to Mary Perkins On Stage (after all, she is the star, so why shouldn't she be the headliner?).

Mary Perkins On Stage Volume Five reprints the newspaper strips that ran from September 18, 1961 to March 9, 1963.  Leonard Starr, writer and artist of the strip, continues to provide the most magnificent tales, both in story and art.  The stories are somewhat standard soap opera fare, but Starr manages to give them creative twist that keeps them fresh and engaging.  And his art - really, all I can say is WOW!  The strip provides some panels of the most intricate detail, whether it be background city scenes or interior theater shots or even the magnificent mansions of the wealthy backers; at the same time, the characters all remain unique, each having his or her own distinctive, individual appearance so that no two look alike, and it's easy to know who is who simply by looking at them on the page.  Starr is a master of expressions - from jealousy to fear to surprise to anger to joy to love - name an emotion, and Starr manages to express it with what appears to be ease on the face of his characters.

 

 

One thing I did notice in this volume, which I hadn't picked up on in prior volumes, is that the final panel of every Sunday strip was re-used nearly every week as the first (or in a few odd instances, the second) panel of the Monday strip each week.  And I don't mean it appears the panel was re-drawn to mirror the Sunday panel; no, it is clear that it is the exact same panel (down to the shadowing, creases, lines, etc.) with the only differences sometimes being that a background is shaded differently or a portion of the edges is cropped out.  The dialogue is not identical, but the panel itself - exactly the same!  I went back and looked at volume four, and it appears this was just beginning to come into play towards the end of that volume, so this may have been a technique that Starr began to use in 1961 - whether to save some time by giving him one less panel to draw each week, or perhaps to provide a visual link between the Sunday strip and the Monday strip, or better yet, maybe for the people who did not get the Sunday paper, this gave a bit of a "catch up" for those readers, so they did not feel like they missed anything important in the story.  Whatever the reason, it is very noticeable in this volume, and I have to wonder if it continued for the remainder of the strip.

As far as the stories in this volume, the opening tale is rather a fun one.  Mike O'Hare gets a new backer, but there is a catch - Walter T. Boniface is a man who enjoys a rather odd game called "Rhymie-Stymie."  "It's a lovely game! I supply a definition and you must answer in two rhyming words that fit it."  A demented flower is a Crazy Daisy.  A pleased father is a Glad Dad.  And so on.  Mary finds it amusing, but Mike simply wants a backer for the next play.  Mike plays along, though, in order to get the money, but the tensions grow as he gets weary of the continued word games, until Mike discovers Boniface's secret and turns the tables on him (with Mary's help, of course).  Interestingly, this story is more about Mike O'Hare than Mary.  As the story concludes, however, readers get re-introduced to Maximuus, who makes an appearance at the theater and gets the ball rolling on the next story...

Ivor Brand, "the Master of Horror," is in town at the same time as Maximus - and he's burning over the fact that Maximus was cast in a new horror film due to his unique ability to create pretty much any face he wants (but, of course, only Mary knows his real secret).  Brand discovers Maximus' secret make-up case and steals it, hoping it will give him the ability to get the part he wants.  With Mary's aid, Maximus tracks down the missing make-up case and Brand, learning that the other actor has some secrets of his own he doesn't want revealed!  But this adventure could lead to trouble in paradise as Pete arrives home for the holidays to discover Mary has taken off with Maximus! (But all gets straightened out, and just in time for the third story...)

Director Crispin Fray is in town, ready to direct a play written by John Parrish - and they are determined to have Mary Perkins as the star of their production!  At the same time, Pete gets a new assignment - Morgana D'Alexius - an enigmatic woman who has never allowed herself to be photographed has agreed to do a photo-essay, but only with Pete Fletcher!  This one builds quickly, as it becomes clear that Crispin has his sights set on Mary and Morgana has her sights set on Pete - and it doesn't matter that Pete and Mary are happily married to each other!  There are plenty of lies, tricks, misunderstandings, and hurt feelings as Crispin and Morgana use every trick under the sun to lure Pete and Mary away from each other - but, of course, their plans backfire, and when Morgana keeps Pete from Mary's award ceremony and Crispin lures Mary up to his apartment under the belief there is a party to be held there, it's John Parrish who steps in the save the day and reunite the couple by foiling the untoward plans of the director and recluse!  What I like about this story is that all during the course of the tale, Parrish disappears without any explanation - and it turns out this is all a set-up for the fourth big story (which, in my opinion, is probably the most interesting of them all in this volume!).

As Crispin's play sets to open in Chicago, he and Mary have a difficult time keeping Parrish focused, because it seems the critic, Gerald Philip Jason, is also in town, and he seems to know all about Parrish's play - even before he has seen it!  Parrish is in a tizzy, and Crispin is worried that these disappearances are going to hurt the play, because every time he re-appears, he has made changes to the script, all based on critiques by Jason!  There's a reason why Jason may be coming down so harsh on the play, and that is because there is a personal connection between Jason and Crispin - a woman, who just happens to make her appearance at the theater and demand that Crispin give her a part in the play!  There's a mystery that builds here, and Starr does it perfectly - who is Cassandra?  What is her connection with the theater critic and the director?  How does she have such sway over Crispin?  Where is Parrish disappearing to when he goes missing?  Is he just blacking out, or is there something else at work?  The clues are there, and astute readers might actually figure it out before the big reveal in the final panel of the June 17, 1962 strip - but it is a good one, and it only escalates the drama that ensures thereafter.

The fifth tale brings Mike O'Hare to Chicago, where he introduces Mary to an agent, Nat Blessing.  Nat is currently representing a rising new star, Tony Abbot, who is shy and reluctant to step into the spotlight.  Tony and Mary are set to star in a new film, and Mary is determined to bring Tony out of his shell, after meeting comedian Charlie Manna, it appears he might be opening up.  The film company heads down to the Caribbean to begin filming, and Pete joins Mary there.  Mrs. Ainsley, a big stockholder in the film company, is also on site, and she is frustrated that Tony will not respond to any of her messages.  The revelation that she is his mother does not come as much of a surprise, and the story centers around their relationship - her self-absorbed nature and his desire to simply have some of her attention.  When Tony discovers his mother has a serious health condition, it serves as the catalyst to unite the two, who begin a new road in their familial relationship. 

The sixth and final story is rather an odd one, involving a jet case hero from the war named "Nine-Lives" MacNab.  It seems he has a connection to both Pete and Mary - he saved Pete's life in the war, and Mary was his last date in school before he entered the armed services years ago.  He makes a sudden appearance in New York, but it's not just to reunite with his old friends - he intends to take what he feels is due him for saving Pete's life all those years ago, and that prize is Mary herself!  He takes her away for an unexpected plane ride, which finds them being forced to land in a blizzard, where they have to be rescued from the freezing temperatures.  While he seems to have realized his wrong-doings after recuperating in the hospital, he makes one last-ditch effort to win Mary before taking off into the wild blue yonder, leaving a jealous Pete behind with Mary reminding him that he is the only man for her...

There is a one-panel hint of what is to come, with a dark haired stranger talking with a mechanic about a car (conveniently hidden under draping) that he is planning to take, which car will "take delicate handling," even with the bugs ironed out.  Guess we will have to wait to volume six to find out what lies ahead for Mary and her growing cast of supporting characters.

 

Overall, these stories were pretty good.  Because of the nature of this being a newspaper strip, the stories have to move at a pretty quick pace and they keep your attention fairly easily.  I do prefer it when Starr provides more than just a one panel set up for the next story - such as the Parrish storyline, where Parrish repeatedly disappears during the third tale, which does not see fruition until the fourth story.  Those kind of subplots in one story leading up to the next make for excellent reading and give readers some great payoff.  But, I suppose Starr had to keep things fresh and moving, so he couldn't be expected to do that kind of build-up with every tale.  Regardless, these strips are definitely worth the read.

 

RATING:  10 pairs of extra glasses out of 10 for engaging stories and absolutely gorgeous art!

Florida Antiquarian Book Fair - 2023

 

We take a break from the regularly scheduled book review for this special blog post!  While this blog has been always about reviewing books and comics and graphic novels that I have read, as well as audio books to which I have listened, I thought I would interrupt the regular posting for a special post about the FLORIDA ANTIQUARIAN BOOK FAIR.  Held every year in St. Petersburg, Florida, this year was the 40th annual book fair, so it was definitely a special event.  I have been going to the book fair since around 2017 or so, and up until now, I have always just driven down on Saturday, spent the day there shopping, then driven back home after.  This year, however, I decided to do the whole three-day event, and boy, am I glad I did!  From the opening night on Friday, March 10th to the closing day of Sunday, March 12th, I found myself lost among the many book dealers, staring in awe at books old and new, inexpensive and way out of my league, for children and for adults, and just about everything else you can imagine.  It truly is a book lover's paradise, and it's an event every book collector should attend! 

 

The book fair has been held at The Coliseum just outside of downtown St. Petersburg, which has been its home for well over 20 years.  It's a quaint little building, and it hosts plenty of other events throughout the year.  And something I found out this year while speaking with a marketing director for the event, is that the facility appears in the movie Cocoon, where portions were filmed right there in that banquet hall.  What is even more incredible is that next year, 2024, will mark the 100th anniversary of The Coliseum (and the 41st anniversary of the book fair), so I have no doubt there will be some special events next year to honor this centennial celebration!  

Now, back to that marketing director - when he found out that I had been coming for several years, but that I had never gone upstairs to the small alcove that overlooks the hall, he gave me the grand tour.  There is a small stage up there, as well as a lengthy area where tables are set up for special dinners.  But best of all, from that second floor alcove, you can look out over the whole hall and see all of the dealers (and all of those books!!!).  With the lights hanging overhead, and the small alcoves on either side of the hall, it makes for a breathtaking sight. I could have stood up there and stared out over all of those books for quite a while - but had I done that, I would have never been able to buy any books!  And let's face it, I didn't drive all the way down there to spend three days at a book fair without buying any books!

There were a large number of dealers there, and the variety of books would astound you.  When I previously just spent one day at the convention, I would start on one side and work my way to the other, going down each and every aisle, and once done, I would do a second trip through the hall - by which time, it would near the end of the day.  But this year, being there all three days, it allowed me to truly take my time, examine each and every booth, and even then, I managed to find things each day that I had no seen the day before!  Of course, I was thrilled to see some of my friends who are dealers and who I get to see each year here at the show - Steve, Sharon, Kerry, Matt, Gary, and others - plus meet so many new ones along the way.  

A special treat this year was seeing a copy of the last book in the Judy Bolton series signed by the author, Margaret Sutton.  Sharon Kissell had purchased the book from Sutton's daughter - but that's not the best part.  On Saturday, an older woman was browsing her booth and came across the book.  She asked Sharon about the book, and when Sharon explained how she came into possession of the book, the woman told her that she was the owner of a bookstore up in New York, and that Margaret Sutton had purchased that very book from her store years ago specifically to give to her daughter!  Now, after all these years, the book store owner and the book were reunited!  Talk about a small world!  But, of course, those of us in the book collecting community already know just how small it really is...

But let's get back to the show.  So, it opened Friday night at 5 pm for just four hours; but, it was exciting to be there on opening night and see what kind of wonderful finds I was missing out on each year by not coming until Saturday.  

Steve Bolter brought a number of wonderful Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and Melody Lane books, along with some other fantastic treasures.  He even had a copy of Pirate Brig autographed by Mildred Wirt and an Altemus Doris Force book!  

Sharon, of course, had some great Judy Bolton books, as well as some of those not so easy to find Cameo edition Nancy Drew books in dust jacket (and a beautiful copy of the picture cover edition of Midnight Trolls from The Happy Hollisters!).  

Kerry Johnson, who owns the Family Bookstore up in DeLand (my backyard!!!), brought some Happy Hollisters books with nearly pristine dust jackets (and lucky enough, he had one of the few I was missing, so that was the first book I bought over the weekend!).  

Matt Whalon was offering some red-board Hardy Boys books, including a first printing of one (which my friend Ray snagged without hesitation!).  

And Gary Overmann is always guaranteed to have PLENTY of children's series books, and this year was no exception!  Lots of Nancy Drews, Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames, Dana Girls, Bomba the Jungle Boy, Rick Brant, Tom Swift, Vicki Barr, Happy Hollisters, and more!

And this was all just Friday!  After two trips around the hall, it was time to head back to my bed and breakfast and grab some sleep so I would be well-rested for Saturday.  I was told there were hundreds of people who were there on Friday night, and on Saturday, they were anticipating close to a thousand throughout the day!  It was definitely busy, but as I made my way up and down the aisles, I had no trouble at all checking out the various booths, dealers, and books.  I found one booth that had fairy tales from around the world ... another booth that had tons of pulp novels from back in the day ... yet another booth that specialized in science fiction novels ... another booth offering up plenty of mysteries from nearly a century ago ... there were Big Little Books to be found ... medical and religious books of every kind ... picture books and Little Golden books ... Oz and Harry Potter ... I even spotted some Aunt Jane's Nieces books by Edith Van Dyne (a pseudonym for L. Frank Baum, the author of the Oz books!).  While I already have that complete series, it was nice actually seeing some still out in the wild, so to speak.  

 

This weekend also introduced me to Bernie Goodman, a bookseller out of Tavares, Florida.  He had some books by Robert R. McCammon, who was an author I read some years ago back when his books originally were published.  Bernie let me know that McCammon had new books that were being published, of which I was not aware, so we got into a discussion about the author and his various books.  I also met Rebecca McNulty, who gave me the heads up about a book that might interest me with a girl detective short story in it (as she had noticed the Nancy Drew book bag I was using to carry all the books I bought!).  I have that book on my Amazon watch list now and once I buy it and read it, no doubt you'll be seeing a review here on this blog.

Sunday, sadly, was the third and final day of the show.  I had been careful not to spend all of my money the first two days, so on that final day, I was still able to buy some more books (and get a few bargains in the process, since the dealers did not exactly want to take all of these books back home with them!).  I also came across a few books that I would love to have bought, but I just couldn't bring myself to pay the price.  One of them was an old pulp-style book called hurricane nurse by Peggy Gaddis.  Those familiar with the Cherry Ames or Sue Barton series might think this is a title from one of those series, but it was not.  From the blurb on the back of the book, I saw that it was set in Florida, and so I was very tempted to pick it up.  But the I just couldn't bring myself to shell out $35, so I put it back and told myself that I will find it again someday at a cheaper price ... now we will see if I was right!

At this point, you're probably wondering what books did I buy while I was there for the weekend?  Well, that would be telling ... but I can say that I managed to get a few steps closer to completing my Happy Hollisters set in dust jacket ... my Connie Blair series in dust jacket ... I did finish my Jane Withers series (found the third book I was missing) ... I picked up the complete set of Peggy Stewart books ... stumbled across two Tom Swift books with the $1 box ... and picked up a few other unexpected finds that have now sent me off looking for two new series of books (well, new to me, anyway). 

It was a busy weekend, a tiring weekend, but overall, and exciting and fun weekend.  Ray and Rob joined me there on Friday night, and Russell and his fiance, Farrah, joined me on Sunday afternoon, so I had some friends to share the experience with.  I am already anxious for next year's event, which will be the first weekend in March, and the theme for which is Dr. Seuss!  But, as Matt Whalon and I were discussing - if they can have a Dr. Seuss weekend, I think it's only right that they have a series books them one year!  After all, the Hardy Boys 100th anniversary is coming up in 2027, and Nancy Drew just three years later!

The FLORIDA ANTIQUARIAN BOOK FAIR is definitely an event I would recommend to any book collector, because it is probably the best show I have ever attended!

RATING:  (yes, I'm giving this a rating, how could I not?)  100 vintage, antique books out of 100 for offering up a paradise for book lovers to enjoy three days of absolute heaven!  Here's to the next 40 years of book fairs!