Quick Rating: Really Really Rooby Roo
Title: A Broken Winged Dragon

Writer: Rurik Tyler/Terrence Griep Jr.
Pencils: Joe Staton
Inks: Andrew Pepoy/Scott McRae
Colors: Paul Becton and Sno Cone
Letters: Jared K Fletcher
Asst. Editor: Harvey Richards
Editor: Joan Hilty

Nine women are crammed into a VW Microbus, circa 1969. Polyhymnia is driving and she won’t let anyone touch the radio. Calliope is writing in her journal. She has a backpack full of journals. The backpack is army surplus. Clio is lecturing everyone on a variety of counter-culture issues. No one is actually paying attention. At the same time, Erato is reciting an ode to her current inspiration, a college boy with soulful eyes. Terpsichore has happy feet and is kicking the back of the seat in front of her. Euterpe is singing the latest song by the Mamas and the Papas. Melpomene is reading the newspaper, trying to quiet down whoever is being loudest at the moment, and swatting Terpsichore’s feet every time they kick her seat. Urania is plotting her star charts. Thalia is asleep with a smile on her face. Erato takes out her acoustic guitar and starts to sing “Me and Bobby McGee.” She does this a lot.

A van can be seen in the distance, broken down by the side of the road. Polyhymnia slows down beside the other van. A surfer-type guy wearing a red ascot and no shirt is working on the engine. A redhead is sunbathing on the ground in front of the van. Clio asks if they need any help.

“You know anything about engines?” He says, indicating that he does not expect them to be any help.

Clio frowns, but Urania jumps out of the VW and shoves blonde guy away from his engine.

Just then, the back of the van, bursts open, emitting a pungent stream of smoke. An unshaven young man crawls out and blinks at the Muses. A great dane and a short, young woman in a too-heavy sweater follow him. All of their pupils are heavily dilated. “Like, what’s going on, Fred?”

“Nothing, man. Go back to… whatever you were doing.”

Urania punches the surfer dude in the chest and says, “You’re all fixed.” She climbs back in with her sisters. The passengers of the mystery Microbus stare dumbly at the van and its nine occupants.

“Oh, for crying out loud!” Clio exclaims. “Come here, Blondie.” He drags his feet up to her. Clio wraps her arms around his head, leans down to his ear, and whispers, “Mysteries. Solve them. You’ll be good at it. All of you, together.” She releases him and the Muses drive away.

Scooby-Doo 78, like virtually all of its predecessors, contains two tales. The first, A Broken Winged Dragon, concerns the titular monster which has been spotted in Huntington Woods. The second story, The Mine is Mine, finds Scooby and the gang doing some gold prospecting. A weird ghost appears and all and sundry try to determine if it’s a spiritual apparition or man-made.

I know that the Mystery Inc. gang meddles more than is good for them, but if no one ever meddled, we wouldn’t have any stories to tell. I also realize that every single story is exactly the same- variations on a very tight theme. I don’t have a knee-jerk reaction to the repetition. It can be reassuring. The artwork is all right with periodic helpings of pretty good. This is not a comic book that should look realistic or even close. The style is predetermined.

The Scooby Doo aficionado in our household had this to say: “It’s really funny for those people who like funny stuff. You’ll like it. The art was pretty good. I thought the first story was good.” I could not possibly impart more useful information than that, so I’ll just mumble my agreement. Go ahead and revisit your childhood.

March, 2004

I distinctly remember the moment that I fell in love with the Rochester Children’s Book Festival. Standing in the back of a crowded room, I watched as Vivian Vande Velde read her picture book, Troll Teacher. The Festival provides the rare opportunity to enjoy that delightful synchronicity of an author who can read aloud, a book worth reading aloud, and an enthralled audience.

The 9th Annual Rochester Children’s Book Festival falls on November 5th in the R. Thomas Flynn Campus Center at Monroe Community College (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.). The event is geared to the entire family, but it definitely emphasizes the children of its title.

The pre-reader in your family can enjoy continuous picture book readings by the likes of Robin Pulver (Axle Annie and the Speed Grump, Author Day for Room 3T), Cat Bowman Smith (Auction!), Will Hubbell (Snow Day Dance), Daniel Mahoney (A Really Good Snowman), Stu Smith (My School’s a Zoo!), and Michelle Knudsen (Carl the Complainer). Members of the Blackstorytelling League of Rochester will tell African folktales, legends and more. When the listeners get the fidgets, crafts, puppets, and other artsy pursuits will be available. Or head to Presentation Place, which will feature digital photography, sculpted chicken models, tall tales, a poetry slam, horse bartering, and life in a lighthouse, presumably not all at the same time. From 1:00 pm to 3:15 pm, your the Young Adult readers in your clan can consult with Vivian Vande Velde (Now You See It…, Witch Dreams), Chris Crutcher (The Sledding Hill, Whale Talk), Mary Beth Miller (Aimee), Laurie Halse Anderson (Prom, Speak) and Linda Sue Park (Project Mulberry, A Single Shard).

October, 2005

Quick Rating: And the visiting team takes the field
Title: Chapter 6: When Strikes Agent Morgan

Writer: Kyle Baker
Artist: Kyle Baker
Editor: Joey Cavalieri

The first inning in the Plastic Man game comes to a rousing conclusion with villains revealed and chuckles all around.

Let me think about that summary… I think I have the attention span of a gnat. It must be all those years of Sesame Street and MTV. I was there when video killed the radio star and, let me tell you, it wasn’t pretty. In this day and age, the comics industry expects me to pay attention for six+ months. Let me assure you that this is way beyond my capabilities. I’m good for maybe an hour and that’s if food and beverage are involved.

So, I wrote: The first inning in the Plastic Man game comes to a rousing conclusion with villains revealed and chuckles all around. And yet I have no idea what’s really going on here. Yes, I could identify the good guys and the bad guys and I saw all the cute pictures. I chuckled. But I long ago lost any investment in the characters.

I still like the artwork a lot. I still think that the storytelling is delightful. I’m entertained. But I’ve now spent twenty dollars for two hours entertainment over half a year. And I’ve lost track of the story. You would have a point if you want me to drag out all the old issues every time a new one arrives, but I simply don’t have them available right now. (The house is being remodeled, if you must know, and older comics are packed away.)

So, should you buy this issue? If you bought the other five, then you should. If not, then you should purchase the inevitable trade paperback. And I should venture into the stored comics and figure out what’s going on here.

June, 2004