Yu-Gi-Oh Official Handbook

From a Little Free Library in Windsor CT USA.

Title: Yu-Gi-Oh Official Handbook
Publisher: Scholastic 
Date: 1996
Writer: Tracey West

Not a comic. This is a visual guide to the characters and lore of Yu-Gi-Oh, based primarily on the manga storyline. A fair amount of lore from the card game is included, but this book doesn't go into specifics of game mechanics and strategy. This book is about the story and characters, with a general summary of the overall plot, and features on a range of major and minor characters.The writeup of each character, usually including their key storyline moments, is followed by brief descriptions of that character's preferred duel monsters. The monsters, represented as the cards in the TCG come with the familiar clunky name translations into English, and usually only a line or two about how they go about attacking and defending. The art and colorful and straightforward.

As someone who doesn't play the game, but who is generally familiar with it from spending time in game stores where it is played, I was surprised at the complexity of the character development and the interrelationships between the characters. Although this book only summarizes, it does a good job of making the story sound interesting and appealing. I'll be keeping an eye out for the manga after reading this.

Rating: 7/10

The Spectre #39

Bought this from a back issue bin at Most Excellent Comics and Games in Enfield CT USA when I visited for Free Comic Book Day 2025.

Title: The Spectre
Issue: 39
Date: March, 1996
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: John Ostrander
Artist: Tom Mandrake
Colorist: Carla Feeny
Letterer: Todd Klein
Editor: Dan Raspler, Peter Tomasi

Nicodemus Hazard puts on his totem armor for a big fight with Shadrach and... it doesn't help. Shadrach is a (checks notes...) legal entity, which apparently means that he no-sells lethal damage. Hazard runs away, and it's up to the Spectre to save the day, which he does with, less than minimal bystander casualties. Really, that fits with Spectre's vibe, though.

In between all of that there's an interesting conversation between Jim Corrigan and a spiritual advisor of sorts about subjective and objective reality.

We end with the cult of the National Interest bringing back Shadrach for another round, and the beginning of a quest for a series of "American Talismans", which seems to be a sort of supernatural take on the ideas behind the National Treasure films.

I wasn't really thrilled with Shadrach as a villain, although he did have a pretty cool sequence where he reassembles himself in an interesting fashion after being cut up with a sword. The dialogue was more interesting than the action in this one, but what it sets up in the end has potential.

Rating: 5.5/10

Oh My Goddess Volume 1: 1-555-GODDESS

I picked this one up in the final fill-a-bag-for-a-dollar moments of the Falmouth MA Public Library book sale last summer.

Title: Oh My Goddess
Issue: Volume 1: 1-555-GODDESS
Date: 1996
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics (Studio Proteus)
Writer: Kosuke Fujishima
Artist: Kosuke Fujishima
Letterer: L. Lois Buhalis, Tom Orzechowski

College student Keiichi dials a wrong number and summons a goddess who promises to grant him one wish. Smitten by the goddess Belldandy, Keiichi immediately wishes for a beautiful goddess like her to be with him forever. Let's just say that Keiichi's life is about to get considerably more complicated.

And it becomes even more so, when Belldandy's rogue-goddess older sister (with greater powers and quite a bit less good judgement) arrives on the scene.

From wish-granting boardgames to exam-taking clones, everyone's best intentions end up going repeatedly and badly wrong.

This was amusing in a sitcom sort of way. It didn't really appear to be going anywhere after the arrival of evil-sister goddess Urd, so it felt like the story was spinning its wheels a bit in the second half. But it was still funny and entertaining all the way through.

Rating: 6/10

Leave it to Chance #1

From the random stack of unread comics.

Title: Leave it to Chance
Issue: 1
Date: September, 1996
Publisher: Image Comics (under their Homage brand)
Writer: James Robinson
Artist: Paul Smith
Colorist: Jeromy Cox
Letterer: Amie Grenier
Editor: Jonathan Peterson

I'm a big fan of Leave it to Chance, but this was actually my first time reading the debut issue. It did not disappoint.

Set in the city of Devil's Echo, where the supernatural exists side-by-side with modern civilization, the story introduces resident demon-slayer Lucan Falconer and his daughter Chance. Chance is eager to begin her training as the next generation of the city's long line of protectors against demonic threats, but an overprotective Lucas has some very different ideas.

This issue does a great job of introducing the main characters, as well as some background and supporting characters, plus a complex setting, and then diving right into the action. Chance is immediately likeable. The Devil's Echo setting is loaded with possibility, and several long-term plotlines are set into motion along with the immediate story of Chance's first real adventure in the city.

Lucas's sexist attitude came off as a cliche, but it was thrown out there and the story moved on quickly, putting the focus on Chance, while building toward an ongoing plot that is set up to break a lot more cliches than it will reinforce.

This was, first and foremost, a really fun start to a series with a very unique vibe.

Rating: 8/10

Superman: The Man of Steel #57

Hi... Um... Long time, no see.

So, this has been interesting. I did a pretty good job of keeping this review blog "daily" right up until the time is should have gotten easy: summer vacation from school. All that free time, and my frequency of updates just fell off the proverbial cliff.

And then school started back up, and my schedule got filled up pretty intensely.

And then Nanowrimo happened. And I wrote 50,489 words of a totally ridiculous and awesome young adult dieselpunk novel with the working title "Airship Girls and the Land Beyond the Mist". And I wrote zero words of comic reviews.

So here we are in December, and I took the 1st of December off to recover from Nano, and I thought about just bagging this whole thing until it turned into a 2013 New Years resolution.

But that, of course, is exactly the problem. There is not reason I CAN'T re-start the reviews now, other than the fact that January 1 makes a nice arbitrary day for fresh starts.

You know what? December 2 makes a nice arbitrary day for fresh starts too.

Here's a comic that came in a two-comic (and a Power Rangers trading card!) grab bag that I got at the dollar store.

Title: Superman: The Man of Steel
Issue: 57
Date: June 1996
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Roger Stern
Penciler: Roger Robinson
Inker: Dennis Janke
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Letterer: Ken Lopez, Albert De Guzman
Editor: Mike McAvennie, KC Carlson

Oddly, the credits on the cover list Louise Simonson as the writer. Stern and Robinson are both given "guest" status in the interior credits.

Considering the seemingly temporary nature of the creative team and the fact that the only villain is bad weather,  there is a surprising amount of plot development here.

The plot essentially sticks Superman (and special guest the Jay Garrick version of the Flash; you know, the one with the silly tin hat) into the film Twister, and they get to try to stop a simultaneous outbreak of multiple tornadoes that threaten Smallville.

Sometimes it's nice to just see Superman doing what Superman is supposed to do. You know, saving people and and being the ultimate good guy. The interplay between Superman and Flash is great too, as they work together really well, but with just the tiniest hint of some competitive tension.

Underlying all of this is the theme of balancing superhero career and personal life. Lois Lane has just broken off her engagement with Clark Kent, and Jay Garrick provides inspiration the Clark as a superhero with a successful marriage.

Juggling a career and a relationship is metaphorically related to chasing down a series of tornadoes in a way that works better than I am making it sound.

There are a couple of other subplots that get some attention in this issue, which make for intriguing scenes, but which are mostly setup for future storylines.

I will also point out that this is a rare instance with appearances by FOUR "L.L." characters in the same issue, with Lois Lane, Lana Lang, Lex Luthor, and Lori Lemaris (!) all showing up at different points. It would be interesting to figure out how many issues all four have appeared in throughout the history of Superman. I would guess it's a small number that probably gets even smaller if you remove retrospective and anniversary issues.

For me, as silly as the whole flying in circles to stop a tornado stuff was (in spite of having a meteorologist listed in the credits as a consultant!), this is the kind of Superman story I like, with the emphasis on Clark's sense of duty and compassion, and his intelligent use of his powers.

Rating: 8.5/10