2016 Comic Challenge 143 Ace Comics #119

TITLE-Ace Comics #119
PUBLISHER-David McKay Publications

Got this recently for a stupid cheap price. I knew the kid on the cover had been part of the Katzenjammer Kids comic strip.So guessed this was a collection of comic strips.

From doing a bit of research,seems this came out around Feb 1947. And was near the end of Ace Comics run. Ace was one of the earliest series that reprinted newspaper comic strips.Seems this title was pretty much nothing but King Feature Syndicate strips.

I opened it up and after a text piece on the inside front cover I was happy to see the first of the reprints was a few pages of Lee Falk's The Phantom.

I enjoy the Phantom. And seeing 5 or so pages of what I am guessing is Sunday reprints was worth what the comic cost me.The art is so good. And I am gonna have to track down the rest of this story line.

The second strip was the Katzenjammer Kids. I have heard of this strip. Mostly cause it was one of the more popular strips to get reprinted in comic book form. It is typical little kid annoys older person comedy. Think a more primal Dennis the Menace. The art is good,has that kind of loose anatomy that works well with humor strips.

Tim Tyler is an adventure strip I have heard a bit about. Looks decent. And it a ok read at best.

Pete the Tramp is one that is unknown to me. Jungle Jim I have heard of,thanks to Dynamite's revival last year and I think there was at least one Jungle Jim serial. Plus these reprints have Alex Raymond artwork. No idea if this is before of after his classic Flash Gordon run.

This Barney Google strip mostly is about Snuffy Smith. Who is in the military.I do wish there was more than this one page in the comic. Snuffy Smith is a comic character I have loved since an early age.

Then onto pages of Blondie. I read the comic strip as a kid. And saw lots of the old Blondie B/w movies. So seeing a strip I like,and episodes I doubt I have ever read,was another nice surprise.

Teddy and Sitting Bull is another unknown to me. We get a young kid that likes to pretend to be a Native American. With his pup playing along with him. Nothing special but not horrible.

Tille the Toiler is once again totally unknown to me. And was the worst strip in this book. I see why I only got 1 page.

And Ace Comics saved the best for last. About 6 pages of classic Prince Valiant reprints. Prince Valiant is another that I got into last year thanks to the Dynamite series. The art is gorgeous. The story is well paced and makes me want to read more.

The inside back cover is news pieces the readers of the comic sent in. A thing I remember the Archie titles doing when I was a kid.

And finally the back cover. Which is a humor strip I seem to remember hearing about years ago.

I enjoyed the hell out of this comic. All but the Telly strip were at least worth reading. With the Blondie,Phantom and Prince Valiant stuff being the biggest stand outs for story and art.

Ace Comics #119 gets a buy.

2016 Comic Challenge 054 Mandrake the Magician #04

TITLE-Mandrake the Magician #04
PUBLISHER-Dynamite

So now the demon possessed Narda has merged with the castle and is on a rampage. Mandrake is trying to come up with and plan. And decides to get some advice from his partner Lothar. And after a talk with Lothar he figures out how to stop this demon.

And he does manage to stop it. But in the process Narda dies. So while Mandrake won he suffered a great loss.

With the delays and stuff I get the feeling this is the last of the King Feature heroes we will see from Dynamite. What I have read from this line is well done. But sadly it seems like the sale figures just aren't there.

Mandrake the Magician #04 gets a borrow.

2016 Comic Challenge 053 Mandrake the Magician #03

TITLE-Mandrake the Magician #03
PUBLISHER-Dynamite

After a long delay issue 3 came out. Mandrake is trapped in the dungeon of his now former wife. Who is head of the Cobra.

And while Mandrake is trying to escape Narda is gaining more power from a demon. Who ends up taking over her body.

Mandrake and his newish sidekick escape the dungeon and make it to the throne room. But it is too late the demon has possessed Narda.

While the story is good. The art,which changed from the last 2 issues,is good.But the change from the more cartoonish style of the previous 2 issues to this way more realistic style is jarring. I am assuming whoever did the first two issues got behind and that is why the long wait happened.

Mandrake the Magician #03 gets a borrow.