"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Good, The Bad, And Casey Jones" Review (Spoilers)
Also reviews for the latest episodes of Teen Titans Go!, The Flash, Gotham, Constantine, Star Wars Rebels, Lego Star Wars: The New Yoda Chronicles, The Simpsons, Sleepy Hollow, Grimm, Haven, Bob's Burgers, American Dad, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Stalker and Newsreaders. I will also be reviewing the second and finale Mickey Mouse Sunday Strip collection from Fantagraphics called Robin Hood Rides Again.
Upcoming reviews include X-Men: Days Of Future Past (Blu-Ray), The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Blu-Ray), The Spectacular Spider-Man: The Complete Series, Phineas And Ferb: Star Wars, Samurai Jack: Season 4, Batman: The Complete Television Series, Batman: The Movie (Adam West), Tangled, Muppets Most Wanted: Extended Edition, Revolution: Season 2, Almost Human: The Complete Series, Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 1, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Extended Edition, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (Blu-Ray), The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug: Extended Edition, Airplane! / Airplane II: The Sequel: Double Feature, Police Squad: The Complete Series, Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 1, Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 2, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, Power Rangers Turbo: Volume 1, Power Rangers: Turbo: Volume 2, Power Rangers In Space Volume 1, Power Rangers In Space: Volume 2, Power Rangers Samurai: The Complete Season, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, The Wonder Years: Season 1, Family Guy: Volume 7, Family Guy: Volume 8, and Family Guy: Volume 9.
Teen Titans Go! "Thanksgiving"
Loved the Batman: The Animated Series homage.
"He's Batman! He sits where he likes!" Y'know if you REALLY sit and stew on that line for awhile, it is kind of deep. Because that is pretty much the essence of Batman. He sits where he likes. Boom.
Admittedly, the episode was off the rails, but do you know what moment I found completely irresistible? So much so that the episode gets a positive review? Where Raven straight up said Robin was her least favorite Titan. That. Is. INTERESTING. On a ton of levels too. First, she didn't hesitate when she said it, and was detached enough about it to simply be stating a fact. Secondly, because you'd figure Raven being Raven, would claim Beast Boy as her least favorite on general principle, even if it wasn't true. I LIKE that Raven was honest about it and doesn't seem to think liking Beast Boy is still something to be ashamed of. That line, and the one about Batman's seating preferences pretty much sold an episode to me, that wasn't such hot stuff otherwise. ***1/2.
The Flash "Power Outage"
Did NOT expect to see the Clock King on this show. SUPER cool.
I love that Iris knows Barry well enough to know which mug is his favorite. That is so cute.
Yay, Ralph Dibney shout-out!
Wells is turning out to be quite sinister. I love it.
Fun episode. ****.
Gotham "LoveCraft"
I am gobsmacked. The best parts on this show involve the little kids. That is unheard of in genre television. We're lucky if we get one Fred Savage, Adair Tishler or Maisie Williamses a generation. Gotham just gave us three.
Where did that kid who played Pepper come from anyways? She's was pretty much a glorified cameo in the Pilot and her actress now totally owns the role as if she has been playing her for months. She came oit of nowhere. This is NOT normal for child actors. And she's not even a cast member but a guest star. This show is VERY weird.
And yes, Bruce's first kiss is Selina. This show won me over JUST with that.
Those were pretty much the most incompetent contract killers ever. Everyone knows you make the evil smile AFTER you kill the witness, not before. It defeats the purpose of the evil smile to let Alfred know ahead of time what you are up to.
Richard Kind as James sort of took the gloves off. No longer is he hapless Spin City mayor but there is a fetid stench coming off this guy. This may be the first menacing role I've seen Kind play. And he's SCARY good at it.
I'm loving how Penguin has his fingers in so many pots and seems to know exactly the right time to reveal a secret. He was born for this. The is easily the best incarnation of the character I've ever seen.
Alfred is growing on me too. I liked that his interrogation methods (bribery and flattery) were MUCH more successful than Harvey's tired old routine. I see why GCPD don't use those methods though. With the amount of criminals in the city, if they started handing out hundred dollar bills, the city would be bankrupt within an hour.
This episode was amazing. Super scary talented kid actors. *****.
Constantine "Rage Of Caliban"
Manny is John's betrayer. No question in my mind. He has been absolutely no help whatsoever since the series started, and he's always hinting at a coming darkness more powerful that John has ever faced. He's not warning him, he's bragging. Manny is the dark force.
This episode was crazy-good. My jaw dropped at both the playground scene and the dog strangling scene. Kids and dogs. The two things in film you should NEVER hurt. And it did both in the space of an hour. Brutal.
Best episode so far. *****.
Star Wars Rebels "Gathering Forces"
Not as good as last week, although I'll concede those creatures are pretty scary. But I fail to see what is so wrong with Ezra accidentally tapping into the Dark Side of the Force. It saved their lives. Why are they complaining? The whole Dark Side thing has been a crock from the beginning of the franchise, and I've NEVER seen them try to fix it outside of the Lego cartoons. Somebody should REALLY be pointing out that Yoda's theories about good and evil are all pretty much b.s.. Luke kinda proved it in Return of the Jedi, but they never actually said that was what was going on. Someone needs to unequivocally state that there is nothing inherently wrong with the Dark Side of the Force if used in tandem with the Light Side. The fact that you have to choose a side makes it seem like the Force is a problem religion that is not worth getting involved with. I'm not inclined to join the Church (Cult) of Scientology. But if I heard they were having gang wars and drive by shootings with Mormons I'd be even less inclined to drink that particular Kool-Aid. The whole Dark and Light side thing just makes the Force a completely unnecessarily dangerous and polarizing religion that there is no upside to joining. **1/2.
The Simpsons "Blazed And Confused"
That was pretty much awesome. SO much goodness, I don't know where to start:
-Lisa being shocked that Homer knew the precise dictionary differences between jealously and envy.
-Homer brutally (and accurately) destroying Bart's Genesis slam. Homer has NOT been giving Bart any quarter this season and I love it.
-The shelf falling over on Milhouse and his nose sticking out.
-Sammy Hagar's first appearance after his near death experience.
-Especially cute Couch Gag.
-We meet King Toot for the first time(!).
-Honestly, if this was an episode from season 14 it would be worth five stars. But the show has been on such a tear lately (and I grade on a curve) so I'm giving it 4 and a half. During any other non-Golden Years era of the show I'd kill for an episode this good. Now the show seems to be delivering them every other week. ****1/2.
Sleepy Hollow "Magnum Opus"
George Washington was the Liar in Chief! Hah! Love it!
Gorgon! Love those things. The snakes were creepy too.
I look forward to seeing the sword in action.
What a fun episode. ****.
Grimm "Highway Of Tears"
Few thoughts:
The writers made a mistake. They should NOT have had Juliet be so cool with the situation. Every part of it sucked and having her laugh it off as a sex fantasy game was the wrong choice for the show to make. I didn't double-check who wrote the episode but I'm betting the writer was a man. That is how I imagine many guys WISH that their significant other would behave in that scenario when in reality it would devastating. Not "Have fun. Consider this your one free chance to cheat on me."
Adalind is a VERY incompetent bad guy. I understand her willingness to betray Nick and Kelly. I do. I question the sanity of her decision to reveal every single thing she knew about Kelly to Victor in the space of a two-minute conservation. There are SOME secrets you should always save for a rainy day. Adalind is very lucky the world is kinder to her than most people. If Victor were even slightly more cold-blooded than he is he would have seen she was no longer useful, in fact a liability, and killed her on the spot. Adalind always thinks she has a better hand than she does. She just went all in on a pair of threes. She's lucky Victor didn't call her bluff.
That snake tongue snapping that cop woman's neck from behind was easily the most jolting and scary shock moment the show ever did. Just thought that was worth mentioning.
Did Nick just briefly rezombie? I sincerely hope so. I was SO mad that was just dropped and if they find a way to get back to it anyways I'll be very happy.
I'm glad that non-Grimm nonsense is over. That should have happened in the premiere. ***1/2.
Haven "Chemistry"
After Audrey found that ring, I guessed Cross was Audrey's daughter from a former incarnation. Being her mother is much better. And yet, I don't think she's evil. I think she is here to help. And if like the promo hinted she is thinking putting Audrey back into Mara will solve a big problem, I think I can guess what it is. She's going to ask Duke to try again, and this time instead of separating Audrey into an entirely new person, she's going to try to make Audrey Mara's dominant personality. I don't know WHY she'd want this for her daughter, but not only is that the only good thing that could possibly come from putting Audrey back in Mara, it is the only one I can think of that Audrey herself would agree to.
I have to admit I was wrong. I genuinely thought Mara, begrudgingly cared about Duke. More than she was willing to admit. She not only fooled him she fooled me. I think the thing that is killing Duke is that when Adurey finds out she had sex with Mara she will feel it is a violation of their friendship and a complete betrayal. She wasn't happy about Nathan hooking up with Sarah, but at least Sarah was a good person. Audrey will think it is a completely violation that Duke had sex with the very worst part of Audrey. And I think Duke knows this. He KNEW it was a betrayal last week but he was starved for contact with her and Mara was the Buffybot. And he doesn't even have that and she screwed him over for his trouble (for lack of a better word). And I think Audrey will hate him for it (at least for a little while). Audrey is usually the kind of person who can put up with a lot but I'm betting that crossed a line.
I'm sick of Dave and Vince being apart so much this season. Those two work best together.
WWE Superstar Christian: does he have it? No. Not like Adam Copeland. Good stunt casting, but Copeland has a movie career ahead of him. Christian doesn't.
Next week looks to be killer. I have never wished a mid-season break could be shorter. The entire arc of the past two seasons has been Duke, Nathan, Dwight and the Teagues putting aside their differences to save Audrey no matter the cost. And now that Audrey is back, Mara is driving them all apart. I think their friendship was a LOT more settled when they all had the same goal. Mara is a piece of work. Needless to say this was a five star episode. *****.
Bob's Burgers "Dawn Of The Peck"
It is only fitting that Bob had the only good Thanksgiving. It's his favorite holiday and his family just tossed it aside. I think Linda was right about why this was all happening.
Why aren't the Fischoeders in jail yet? Their criminality stopped being funny ages ago.
Linda's "Alpha Turkey" gambit was genius. Only Linda could come up with a plan that stupid. And it worked. Because turkeys are the only thing stupider than Linda.
Not bad. ***.
American Dad "A Boy Named Michael"
Welcome to the Flanderization of Greg and Terry.
No, I take it back. The Simpsons writers would never make Flanders try to murder somebody and be okay with thinking he got away with it if someone discovered he wasn't as pious as he lets other people think he is. This was much worse.
The worst part is that Greg and Terry's entire early shtick was that they were a completely surprisingly positive example of a loving gay couple. On TV that was unheard of in 2005. The fact that it was on a Seth MacFarlane show was the awesomest thing about it. Saying that Greg and Terry are actually shallow and horrible is unforgivable in my book. They adopted a daughter to fill a void in their lives. Not because they were trying to match the furniture. I'm actually angry about this.
The Sethverse writers don't really care about the integrity of their premises or their characters. Family Guy proves it practically every week and I'm furious it has started to affect American Dad. I swear to God, if they eff up Reginald because the writers are stuck for an episode idea I will lose it.
You suck, American Dad. 0.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine "USPIS"
Ed Helms has always been supremely talented performer in playing total jag-offs and has been since The Daily Show. A less charitable critic might surmise that only someone who is genuinely that unlikable in real life can so believably nail that in every part but I shall leave that theory for the scholars to debate decades from now.
This episode is notable for being the first teaser to end on Hitchcock and Scully. I'm glad the producers aren't afraid to do that.
Not bad, but I was getting as sick of Jack Danger as Peralta was. But Boyle is right. Peralta is pretty much the best person who ever lived. ***.
Stalker "Crazy For You"
Lame. Boring. This show in a nutshell. *.
Newsreaders "Headless Football Player / Identity Thief"
Skip Reming is SUCH a creep. I can't wait to see why side-boob has been replaces by side-balls.
Headless Football Player: Outside of the vagina jokes this wasn't funny. Fortunately the entire thing was half vagina jokes. **1/2.
Identity Thief: What if someone tricked some poor shmuck into stealing their lousy identity? Funny concept. ***.
Episode Overall: **1/2.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Good, The Bad, And Casey Jones
Soccer Mom disc of the new Turtles toon. The second season is unusually shabby and this isn't a particularly good run of episodes from it. It is better than the first volume though. "Of Rats And Men" is a bonafide classic and introduced Turtles fandom to Ice Cream Kitty. The rest of the episodes are hit and miss. Disc overall: ***.
Slash And Destroy:
"Bye Mr. Turtle!" The one cute thing in this frustrating episode. Remind me again why I should be glad the Turtles are gathering up the mutagen if they are going to be as reckless and careless as they are? They create more mutants themselves than if they had simply left the canisters alone. *1/2.
The Kraang Conspiracy:
A lot of fun. I love watching all of those clones get smooshed. Best line goes to Mikey: "I got April Derp on my 'chucks!" Robert Forrster has stated that if his comeback in Jackie Brown gave him a tenth of the career Pulp Fiction did to John Travolta, he'd be happy. He should be happy. And he didn't have to appear in Battlefield Earth to do it. ****.
The Good, The Bad, And Casey Jones:
I've noted before that Casey Jones has the ugliest character design on the series (what were they thinking?!) but that skull mask and facepaint are REALLY sick. Love it. Also the idea that he is afraid of rats. Now we know Splinter can keep him in check. Irma's nosiness takes on added significance after the season finale. ****.
Fungus Humungous:
The Turtles should have figured out what was happening immediately. It is NOT such a good idea to have the audience so far ahead of the heroes. It makes them look stupid. Now, I'm sure the writers thought that since this is a kids show, maybe they could fool the younger viewers. But younger viewers HAVE seen other cartoons. They've almost certainly been exposed to the "Fear Gas / Spores" trope on either Ben 10 or Batman. It would be more forgivable if the show hadn't previously painted Mikey as so pop-culture savvy. He should have recognized the scenario immediately, and I don't buy that he wasn't smart enough. On the upside, that Fantasia homage was a thing of beauty. Fantasia is one of those films that does NOT get brought up enough in pop culture or spoofs. And for such a groundbreaking gamechanger of a movie for the animation industry, and frankly, all of film, I'm always wondering why I'm seeing more Godfather, Wizard of Oz, or Star Wars references than Fantasia ones. Is it because it's classical music and without a clearly defined narrative? Maybe. But Once Upon A Time should NOT be the only show mentioning it. **.
Metalhead Rewired:
Spiderbyte is easily the worst character on this show. For someone so funny, I have never seen Lewis Black cast in anything good. Suffice to say, the less said about his embarrassing stint on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit as an unfunny radio shock jock, the better. Poor Metalhead. I like that the episode allowed Raph a little moment with Spike at the end. ***.
Of Rats And Men:
Fifty years from now, when the chronology of this era of Turtles canon is written, the 2012 show will be remembered for one iconic addition to the franchise. And no, it's not Dogpound, Fishface, or Tiger Claw. It is Ice Cream Kitty. He is a thing of genius. The rest of the episode was great too. I liked Casey's "This isn't helping my thing with rats..." and Splinter toying with Leo during the fight in the beginning was fun. But the biggest non-Ice Cream Kitty moment has to be Splinter's blind man fight with Rat King at the end. It is a REALLY complicated and mindbending storytelling premise, and yet the animation makes it read perfectly. Well done. *****.
Mutation Of A Scene:
More animatics. I'll say it again: they are wasting disc space replaying the entire three minute scene after the storyboard. Overall: ***.
Slash And Destroy: Slash turning evil. ***.
The Kraang Conspiracy: Interesting choice to detail a mostly talky scene but seeing how these are put together can be equally informative. ***1/2.
The Good, The Bad, And Casey Jones: Casey and Raph chasing the Footbot in the sewer. ***.
Fungus Humungous: The first freak-out. ***.
Metalhead Rewired: Metalhead's hero moment. ***.
Of Rats And Men: Gonna call foul. They SHOULD have detailed Splinter's final blind fight with Rat King. I would have liked to have seen the animated evolution of that. *.
Meet Casey Jones:
I am amused at the fact that the producer talking about how awesome Casey is seems completely unaware how repugnant his character design is. It would be one thing if he said "We consciously made him unattractive as a character choice." But this guy doesn't even seem to realize it's a problem. **.
DVD Menus: Animated Main Menu. ***.
Mickey Mouse Color Sundays: Robin Hood Rides Again By Floyd Gottfredson
More Mickey Mouse Sundays. As somebody said in the essay is now feel WEIRD to own every single Sunday strip Gottfredson ever made. I'm sure I'll feel a similar level of amazed when Fantagraphics finishes he Daily run in a few years.
For the record, the Sunday strips still mostly suck. But Mickey is less of a dirtbag once Goofy becomes the antagonist. Gottfredson's Goofy is easily my least favorite version of that character of all time. He is detestable and has no redeeming qualities. How Goofy wound up so beloved is due solely due to the cartoons. If Gottfredson has written the cartoons Goofy would be every bit as hated as Gladstone Gander.
Best stories are "Mickey's Rival" which is SO good is could have been a Daily strip (in fact the Daily strips DID do another version called "Love Trouble"), and "The Sheriff Of Nugget Gulch", which is great, if not as great as the essay on it would have you believe, and the Roald Dahl-esque strip "One Good Turn Deserves Another". Worst story is the gag strip where Mickey threatens to beat Pluto with a baseball bat to teach Morty and Ferdie a lesson (Framed). Yes, you read that right. Volume Overall: ***1/2.
"Mickey's Rival" And "Helpless Helpers" And Gag Strips:
I prefer the Daily Strip story of Mickey's Rival but this has one REALLY great gag in it. Helpless Helpers is a disappointment though. Overall: ****.
Mickey's Rival:
The Sunday version of Mickey's Rival has less to do with Mickey and Mortimer competing for Minnie's favor and more with pulling violent pranks on each other. Mickey's gag with punching Mortimer without touching him was the best. Totally worth a dollar. ****1/2.
A Dog Gong False Alarm: Stupid gag. **1/2.
Open, Says Me: This made me laugh. *****.
Mickey Chains His Dogs: Funny. ****.
Demon Drivers: This was a funny joke. ****.
Helpless Helpers:
I hate to say it but this is merely average. ***.
He Hit Him Back First: This is SUCH an old timey gag. They wouldn't do a joke like this today. ****.
You Asked For It: Ouch! ***1/2.
The Tooth Hurts: I've had recent dental problems. I can relate. ***1/2.
Floating Power: This is clever even though it would never work in real life. ***1/2.
"The Robin Hood Adventure"
REALLY cool story that reminded me of Gumby with Mickey falling into that book. A LOT of fun stuff and I really like how Mickey earned the respect of Little John, Robin Hood and Richard the Lion-Hearted. But... The ending was a HUGE let-down. ****.
"The Ventriloquist" And Gag Strips
The Ventriloquist was a disappointment and most of these gag strips suck because midway through, Goofy became the focal point of the strip, and Gottfredson's Goofy is extremely unlikable. All that said, While I would normally be inclined to give this substandard run of strips a single star it also contains the greatest Mickey Mouse Sunday strip of all time (well, maybe not, but it IS my personal favorite). Three and a half stars just for that. I wish it had occurred during a better run of strips though. Overall: ***1/2.
The Ventriloquist:
My first reaction to finishing this story: And THEN what happened? The daily strip would have made Mickey meeting a real Ventriloquist the jumping off point for an adventure. Here the story just stops when it's getting good. ***1/2.
Up And At 'Em: A groaner. But a FUNNY groaner. ****1/2.
One 'Cross, Two Down: Sap sums it up. ****.
Artists And Models: The logic of this escapes me. *1/2.
A Frightful Eyefull: Unfunny and boring. 0.
Goofy Did A Bang-Up Job: An old gag but Goofy is a REALLY literal character so they had to do it at least once with him. ****.
Hat Trick: Goofy isn't just dumb, he's low-class. I don't care HOW fancy a hat is, you don't pick one up and put it on when you find it in the street. ***1/2.
One Good Turn Deserves Another: Calling it: this is my favorite Mickey Mouse Sunday strip of all time. By far. It's a classic that I first read in my Gladstone reading youth. I later read a Roald Dahl story with the exact same premise and I'm betting he got the idea from this strip. What I love about it is that it subverts your expectations. Here Mickey is the lousy stool-pigeon and it is the pickpocket who is honest and honorable. Him doing that favor for Mickey at the end showed a level of class that Mickey did NOT deserve. My favorite Sunday comic and would have been my favorite strip ever if there wasn't an even funnier four panels in the Daily story "Captive Castaways". Excellent. *****.
He Don't Get It: This wasn't funny. **.
He's On The Way Down: Goofy is DUMB. *.
Tricks Of Your Own Trade: Minnie is a lot smarter than she lets on. But she said she has used this trick before. How many boyfriends has she actually HAD before Mickey? ****.
Ya Gotta Hand It To Him: This has actually happened to me. When I was a little kid I once cupped my hands to catch raindrops out of a store roof's gutter and somebody shoved a dollar into them. Even as a little kid, that was embarrassing. But, hey, free money. ****.
A Bunny Situation: Treacle and unfunny treacle at that. 0.
Goofy Knows The Ropes: This was hilarious but I'll just say it: Goofy was too clever here. It was out of character. ***1/2.
Goofy Sled Him On: THIS however is the kind of accidental genius Goofy is known for. MUCH easier to buy. Although I'll concede this strip isn't as funny as the last one. ***.
He Ain't Happy: I can't sympathize with Mickey because my reaction in the same situation would have been the exact opposite of his. I would have felt RELIEF that the item I had just destroyed was supposed to be mine. Mickey's lack of empathy here is very hard to get behind. *1/2.
Goofy's Plum Right: Goofy is still dumb but in this case, the joke is too. *1/2.
Cracked Ice: Serves Mickey right. **1/2.
Motor Mix-Up: This was funny but also a bit painful to read. Here Goofy plays a little bit like Michael Scott in his disastrous incompetence having negative consequences for the people around him. **1/2.
A Big Help: Stuff like this is the reason I so strongly dislike Gottfredson's Goofy. **.
He Just Couldn't Bear It: I didn't get the logic of this one either. **1/2.
He Can Dream, Can't He?: The fact that Gottfredson totally missed the homosexual implications of this strip tells me he wasn't ONLY an oblivious writer when it came to racial matters. **.
The Pay Off: Goofy is such a witless git. *1/2.
It Was All Very Con-Fuse-Ing: Goofy is a prat. I hate that the Sunday strip has turned into "The Goofy Show". *1/2.
Goofy's Demonstration Was A Flop: Michael "Goofy" Scott strikes again. This strikes me as no different than Michael ripping up some poor kid's expensive text book at Ryan's seminar to make a cliched point. I find stuff like that more painful than funny. *.
Dimbulbs: I'll admit it. Mickey deserved this. **1/2.
Goofy Lost His Memory Too: Another good example of Goofy's accidental cleverness. But it is AGAIN done in such a way that makes the character VERY unlikable. ***.
"Sheriff Of Nugget Gulch" And Gag Strips:
Sheriff Of Nugget Gulch is easily the best adventure serial the Sunday strip ever did. The Robin Hood Adventure was good too but its ending sucked. But despite the many plot holes and logic failures Sheriff of Nugget Gulch reads more like a Daily serial than any other Sunday story. It blows Lair of the Wolf Barker out of the water. Unfortunately, the gag strips in this run are hit and miss. More good ones than the ones that accompanied The Ventriloquist but only about half of them are funny and nearly ALL of them feature the characters behaving in quite deplorable and unpleasant ways. It is VERY easy to see why Gladstone and Gemstone reprinted so few Sunday gag strips. All of the characters were bad role models for kids! Overall: ****.
Sheriff Of Nugget Gulch:
I dunno, I think the editorial accompanying this story was a bit too hard on it. Yes, there are plot inconsistencies and changed premises but the same could be said for the early days of the daily strip. And the idea that the crummy and racist story "In Search Of Jungle Treasure" is better than this is laughable. The Sunday strips have almost ALWAYS been worse than the Dailies and this was about as good as an average Daily strip. About half of the Daily stories are worse than this and a good chunk of them more offensive. I had a good time reading this which is one of the few times I can say that for a Sunday serial. ****1/2.
Going, Going, Gone: Goofy is stupid. **.
Slightly Sidetracked: This was kind of a dirty trick on Mickey's part but Goofy deserved it. Me? I would have just taken a picture and shown it as a gag to friends. Wouldn't have wound up in jail for that. ***.
He's An Old Apple-Knocker: Of course Goofy's uncle is named Dizzy. He also has a cousin Dimwit, an Aunt Dumb@$$, and Grandma Developmentally Disabled. **.
Bedtime Bombardier: A rare Mickey strip without a single line of dialogue. It still "reads" easily enough. ***1/2.
Mickey Takes His Medicine: Figures JUST when Mickey channels The Boondock's Granddad Freeman that he runs out of medicine. Phooey. ***1/2.
A Book To Get Up In The Air Over: This is the second strip in this volume that says that Mickey is an avid book reader. That's a really positive trait to have. ****.
Mickey Had It On Ice: I find this gag just as ludicrous as Wile E. Coyote painting tunnels on cliff walls. But MUCH less funnier. *1/2.
Goofy's A Good Skate: Just desserts for Goofy. ***1/2.
Snowbound: Haven't seen Morty and Ferdie in awhile. Mickey had that coming. ***1/2.
They Took Mickey For A Sleigh Ride: Ditto. ****.
She Didn't Know Mickey Was Deseated: I really dislike Clarabelle too but that isn't just Gottfredson's version, it's ALL versions. Gottfredson's is the most well-known though. **1/2.
Mickey Got A Bum Steer: The was sort of like a Calvin and Hobbes sledding/wagon joke minus the philosophical discussions. But the artwork and pacing was nearly identical to Bill Watterson's. ***1/2.
He Fell For That Line A Second Time: My sympathies for the victim of Morty and Ferdie's prank are limited. ***1/2.
A Bang-Up Round-Up: An adventure serial in a single strip! *****.
A Rolling Pin Gathers No Remorse: Return of the Rascal Mickey. ***1/2.
-Snow Use: Minnie is HORRIBLE in this strip. Sometimes I think the Sunday gag strips are one of the only places you can see Disney characters treating each other like dirt with rotating villains. ***.
Faith, Hope, And Fraternity: Mickey is a bad Uncle. Donald Duck NEVER would have fallen for that trick. True, he wouldn't have given his nephews money for no reason either, but I think it is QUITE humorous that Carl Barks always depicted Donald as a better parent to his nephews than Mickey was to his in Gottfredson's Sunday strips.
The Wagon Yields: Serves Goofy right. You know how all later versions of Goofy are portrayed as near saint-like and innocent? Gottfredson's Goofy is EXTREMELY selfish and thoughtless. It is quite unpleasant. ***1/2.
"Service With A Smile" And Gag Strips
Decent gag story and some more hit and miss strips. Beware Dirtbag Mickey: he threatens to beat Pluto with a baseball bat in order to teach his toddler nephews a lesson. Buttmunch. Overall: ***.
Service With A Smile:
Servicable (Groan). ***1/2.
Two Mad Hatters: Morty and Ferdie are two really rotten little kids. ***.
Goofy's Theory Proven To Be De-Fenceless: Goofy's logic here is so stupid it doesn't even make ANY kind of sense. Most of his literal delusions do in some respect but not-so here. **
...And The Stand Of The Brave: Pretty funny. I love "accidental heroism". ***.
Pluto Showed Mickey He Was All Vet: So-so. ***.
Mickey's Well Attired: You. Cannot. Teach. Goofy. To be. Clever. Can't be done. The sooner Mickey realizes this, the less aggravated he will be. **1/2.
An Education For Mickey: I worry about some of Morty and Ferdie's pranks being imitatable. I'm betting they were in 1938. ***.
An Undercover Recovery: Mickey is the worst. ***1/2.
He's Funny That Way: Mortie and Ferdy channel Michael Vick. I'll say one thing for Dirtbag Mickey: he sure knows when to unleash his righteous fury. It isn't often but it is always well-earned. ****.
Well, Dunk My Cake!: What exactly is the lesson here? *.
Patience Is A Virtue: Minnie is ALSO the worst. **1/2.
Some Fun, Eh?: Goofy is a grade-A moron. ***1/2.
The Gift Of Gab: If you can't beat 'em, distract 'em with b.s.. Mickey shoulda been in politics. ****.
Minnie Was Entrance: Dang, Minnie. BUUUUURRRNNN. ***.
There Ain't No Justice: Goofy is so self-absorbed he can make telling the OTHER GUY'S story first seem narcissistic. ***1/2.
Framed: This strip is appalling and absolutely sickening. One of the worst Disney Comics I have ever read. 0.
You Can Count On Goofy: Goofy nearly wins a Darwin Award. ***.
This One's On Mickey: Free comedy tip, Mickey. NEVER count on Goofy to "get" your jokes. ***.
Grin, And Bear It, Mickey!: Cute. ***1/2.
You Can't Tell-His-Scope: I'll admit it. Goofy's stupidity is SOMETIMES amusing. ****.
"The Brave Little Tailor" And Gag Strips:
The Brave Little Tailor story is done in a different format than other Mickey Mouse strips. In it Mickey gets a phone call from Walt Disney and is treated as a bonafide movie star. That's kind of neat, but frankly, it's also a bit jarring. Once we get to the "movie" though the story is fine. Overall: ****.
The Brave Little Tailor:
Fantastic illustrations but it should go without saying that the animated cartoon itself is a thousand times better. By the way: you think the Marvel Cinematic Universe has synergy? Nobody, but NOBODY beat Disney at the promotion game in the 1920's and 30's. ****.
You Can't Film-Flam Goofy: Goofy may be the worst but at least at this point Mickey has figured that out. ****.
Goofy Amused Them With His Tails: Not funny. **.
You Can't Soot Everybody: Um, what? I have a sneaking suspicion this is supposed to be racist but I have no clue what the actual joke is. 1/2.
No Use Mnnie-Mizing The Evidence: Gottfredson's Minnie has always been all over the map. Sometimes she's clever, but sometimes she's as obnoxious as Daisy Duck. A cast of rotating villains is Mickey Mouse Sundays. **1/2.
The Later Years: Gottfredson Fill-Ins:
These are some of the occasional strips Gottfredson did to fill-in on the Sundays. I think they are better than the book's editor gives them credit for. For one thing, with the exception of the now too vanilla Mickey, every single character is more likable, particularly Goofy and Morty and Ferdie. I WILL concede however that the artwork sucks. I don't know what happened to Gottfredson in his later years but the early Daily strips and Sundays were some of the most on-model Disney Comics ever done. They looked EXACTLY like the animated cartoons which is only something I think Carl Barks was the only other person able to pull it off. Even Don Rosa and William Van Horn don't look completely on-model. Gottfredson's strip, instead of looking like an illustrated animated cartoon, now resembles Hi And Lois. I don't know if it's laziness, or a new mandate from Disney or what, but it's REALLY noticeable. Overall: ****.
What Goes Up: Funny Bill Walsh sight gag. ****1/2.
Sputnik Sundae: I would have eaten the HECK outta that sundae. ****.
Snob's Your Uncle: Those twitty nephews of Minnie were driving me nuts. **1/2.
But He Knows What He Likes: I see what the title writers of the book did there. ****1/2.
-For Man Nor Beast: Groan. **1/2.
Splash Test Dummy: That is ONE off-model Chief O'Hara. ***.
Snug In A Rug: At this point in the strip's run, Gottfredson is forced to use the dreaded "throwaway" gag that newspapers often cut to save space. Those obnoxious things ALWAYS throw off the pace of the strip, and is a big part of the reason both Bill Watterson and Berkeley Breathed renegotiated their comic strip deals to do away with them. ***1/2.
Brotherhood Is Powerful: I was exactly the same way as a kid. Morty and Ferdie are MUCH more relatable in the later years of the strip. ***1/2.
Delayed Reaction: Eh. All right. But plenty of the later strips are funnier than this. **.
East, West - Home Is Best: I will say this: Goofy is MUCH more likable in the later strips. *****.
Hat Check: This was fun. ***.
And The Grass Grew Green All Around: Deadly dull. *1/2.
Gottfredson Guest Stars: Donald Duck And Treasury Of Classic Tales:
These are the various non-Mickey comic strips Gottfredson drew throughout the years. None of them are as good as the Mickey Daily strips (although the two Donald Duck ones are about as good as a Mickey Sunday strip). Overall: ***1/2.
Donald Duck:
These two strips contain Pluto and Goofy respectively. I don't recall many other Donald strips that used the "Mouse" characters. Overall: ***1/2.
Dog Daze: Cute. ***.
Donald Scented Fowl Play: Donald had this coming. ***1/2.
Lambert The Sheepish Lion:
Nice artwork and faithful adaptation. But the cartoon itself is nothing special and the comic certainly doesn't improve upon it. **1/2.
The Seven Dwarfs And The Witch-Queen:
This is totally a Smurfs story. And the Witch Queen is Gargamel. ***.
Sleeping Beauty:
Not as good as the movie but better than you'd expect. ****.
101 Dalmatians:
Serviceable adaptation. ***1/2.
Sunday Pictorial Mickey Strip: An old Gottfredson strip with new dialogue. ***1/2.
Mickey And His Friends Strip: This pantomime strip is very interesting. I'd like to eventually see a collection of this short-run strip. ***1/2.
Scamp Strip: Cute. ***.
Gag Strips: A Mickey Supplement:
These are six strips by Bill Walsh and Manuel Gonzalez. The artwork is more detailed than Gottfredson's and the writing denser. Interesting. Overall: ***1/2.
Too Realistic: Beautiful artwork. ****.
Double Trouble: The strip used pink flesh tones in this era. I personally like it (even if it's pink instead of peach). I loved it when the Disney Comics in the 90's did that and the ducks' eyes robin's egg blue. ***1/2.
Sweet Smell Of Success: You see the look on Minnie's face in the last panel? You can totally tell she's putting Mickey on. You can't kid a kidder. ****1/2.
The Cat's Meow: Cute Pluto strip but I didn't like the ending. **1/2.
Bored Of Education: An Ellsworth strip. ***1/2.
Little Wooden Head: The idea of this strip is a ridiculous. It was a bit much. **.
Upcoming reviews include X-Men: Days Of Future Past (Blu-Ray), The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Blu-Ray), The Spectacular Spider-Man: The Complete Series, Phineas And Ferb: Star Wars, Samurai Jack: Season 4, Batman: The Complete Television Series, Batman: The Movie (Adam West), Tangled, Muppets Most Wanted: Extended Edition, Revolution: Season 2, Almost Human: The Complete Series, Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 1, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Extended Edition, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (Blu-Ray), The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug: Extended Edition, Airplane! / Airplane II: The Sequel: Double Feature, Police Squad: The Complete Series, Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 1, Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 2, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, Power Rangers Turbo: Volume 1, Power Rangers: Turbo: Volume 2, Power Rangers In Space Volume 1, Power Rangers In Space: Volume 2, Power Rangers Samurai: The Complete Season, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, The Wonder Years: Season 1, Family Guy: Volume 7, Family Guy: Volume 8, and Family Guy: Volume 9.
Teen Titans Go! "Thanksgiving"
Loved the Batman: The Animated Series homage.
"He's Batman! He sits where he likes!" Y'know if you REALLY sit and stew on that line for awhile, it is kind of deep. Because that is pretty much the essence of Batman. He sits where he likes. Boom.
Admittedly, the episode was off the rails, but do you know what moment I found completely irresistible? So much so that the episode gets a positive review? Where Raven straight up said Robin was her least favorite Titan. That. Is. INTERESTING. On a ton of levels too. First, she didn't hesitate when she said it, and was detached enough about it to simply be stating a fact. Secondly, because you'd figure Raven being Raven, would claim Beast Boy as her least favorite on general principle, even if it wasn't true. I LIKE that Raven was honest about it and doesn't seem to think liking Beast Boy is still something to be ashamed of. That line, and the one about Batman's seating preferences pretty much sold an episode to me, that wasn't such hot stuff otherwise. ***1/2.
The Flash "Power Outage"
Did NOT expect to see the Clock King on this show. SUPER cool.
I love that Iris knows Barry well enough to know which mug is his favorite. That is so cute.
Yay, Ralph Dibney shout-out!
Wells is turning out to be quite sinister. I love it.
Fun episode. ****.
Gotham "LoveCraft"
I am gobsmacked. The best parts on this show involve the little kids. That is unheard of in genre television. We're lucky if we get one Fred Savage, Adair Tishler or Maisie Williamses a generation. Gotham just gave us three.
Where did that kid who played Pepper come from anyways? She's was pretty much a glorified cameo in the Pilot and her actress now totally owns the role as if she has been playing her for months. She came oit of nowhere. This is NOT normal for child actors. And she's not even a cast member but a guest star. This show is VERY weird.
And yes, Bruce's first kiss is Selina. This show won me over JUST with that.
Those were pretty much the most incompetent contract killers ever. Everyone knows you make the evil smile AFTER you kill the witness, not before. It defeats the purpose of the evil smile to let Alfred know ahead of time what you are up to.
Richard Kind as James sort of took the gloves off. No longer is he hapless Spin City mayor but there is a fetid stench coming off this guy. This may be the first menacing role I've seen Kind play. And he's SCARY good at it.
I'm loving how Penguin has his fingers in so many pots and seems to know exactly the right time to reveal a secret. He was born for this. The is easily the best incarnation of the character I've ever seen.
Alfred is growing on me too. I liked that his interrogation methods (bribery and flattery) were MUCH more successful than Harvey's tired old routine. I see why GCPD don't use those methods though. With the amount of criminals in the city, if they started handing out hundred dollar bills, the city would be bankrupt within an hour.
This episode was amazing. Super scary talented kid actors. *****.
Constantine "Rage Of Caliban"
Manny is John's betrayer. No question in my mind. He has been absolutely no help whatsoever since the series started, and he's always hinting at a coming darkness more powerful that John has ever faced. He's not warning him, he's bragging. Manny is the dark force.
This episode was crazy-good. My jaw dropped at both the playground scene and the dog strangling scene. Kids and dogs. The two things in film you should NEVER hurt. And it did both in the space of an hour. Brutal.
Best episode so far. *****.
Star Wars Rebels "Gathering Forces"
Not as good as last week, although I'll concede those creatures are pretty scary. But I fail to see what is so wrong with Ezra accidentally tapping into the Dark Side of the Force. It saved their lives. Why are they complaining? The whole Dark Side thing has been a crock from the beginning of the franchise, and I've NEVER seen them try to fix it outside of the Lego cartoons. Somebody should REALLY be pointing out that Yoda's theories about good and evil are all pretty much b.s.. Luke kinda proved it in Return of the Jedi, but they never actually said that was what was going on. Someone needs to unequivocally state that there is nothing inherently wrong with the Dark Side of the Force if used in tandem with the Light Side. The fact that you have to choose a side makes it seem like the Force is a problem religion that is not worth getting involved with. I'm not inclined to join the Church (Cult) of Scientology. But if I heard they were having gang wars and drive by shootings with Mormons I'd be even less inclined to drink that particular Kool-Aid. The whole Dark and Light side thing just makes the Force a completely unnecessarily dangerous and polarizing religion that there is no upside to joining. **1/2.
The Simpsons "Blazed And Confused"
That was pretty much awesome. SO much goodness, I don't know where to start:
-Lisa being shocked that Homer knew the precise dictionary differences between jealously and envy.
-Homer brutally (and accurately) destroying Bart's Genesis slam. Homer has NOT been giving Bart any quarter this season and I love it.
-The shelf falling over on Milhouse and his nose sticking out.
-Sammy Hagar's first appearance after his near death experience.
-Especially cute Couch Gag.
-We meet King Toot for the first time(!).
-Honestly, if this was an episode from season 14 it would be worth five stars. But the show has been on such a tear lately (and I grade on a curve) so I'm giving it 4 and a half. During any other non-Golden Years era of the show I'd kill for an episode this good. Now the show seems to be delivering them every other week. ****1/2.
Sleepy Hollow "Magnum Opus"
George Washington was the Liar in Chief! Hah! Love it!
Gorgon! Love those things. The snakes were creepy too.
I look forward to seeing the sword in action.
What a fun episode. ****.
Grimm "Highway Of Tears"
Few thoughts:
The writers made a mistake. They should NOT have had Juliet be so cool with the situation. Every part of it sucked and having her laugh it off as a sex fantasy game was the wrong choice for the show to make. I didn't double-check who wrote the episode but I'm betting the writer was a man. That is how I imagine many guys WISH that their significant other would behave in that scenario when in reality it would devastating. Not "Have fun. Consider this your one free chance to cheat on me."
Adalind is a VERY incompetent bad guy. I understand her willingness to betray Nick and Kelly. I do. I question the sanity of her decision to reveal every single thing she knew about Kelly to Victor in the space of a two-minute conservation. There are SOME secrets you should always save for a rainy day. Adalind is very lucky the world is kinder to her than most people. If Victor were even slightly more cold-blooded than he is he would have seen she was no longer useful, in fact a liability, and killed her on the spot. Adalind always thinks she has a better hand than she does. She just went all in on a pair of threes. She's lucky Victor didn't call her bluff.
That snake tongue snapping that cop woman's neck from behind was easily the most jolting and scary shock moment the show ever did. Just thought that was worth mentioning.
Did Nick just briefly rezombie? I sincerely hope so. I was SO mad that was just dropped and if they find a way to get back to it anyways I'll be very happy.
I'm glad that non-Grimm nonsense is over. That should have happened in the premiere. ***1/2.
Haven "Chemistry"
After Audrey found that ring, I guessed Cross was Audrey's daughter from a former incarnation. Being her mother is much better. And yet, I don't think she's evil. I think she is here to help. And if like the promo hinted she is thinking putting Audrey back into Mara will solve a big problem, I think I can guess what it is. She's going to ask Duke to try again, and this time instead of separating Audrey into an entirely new person, she's going to try to make Audrey Mara's dominant personality. I don't know WHY she'd want this for her daughter, but not only is that the only good thing that could possibly come from putting Audrey back in Mara, it is the only one I can think of that Audrey herself would agree to.
I have to admit I was wrong. I genuinely thought Mara, begrudgingly cared about Duke. More than she was willing to admit. She not only fooled him she fooled me. I think the thing that is killing Duke is that when Adurey finds out she had sex with Mara she will feel it is a violation of their friendship and a complete betrayal. She wasn't happy about Nathan hooking up with Sarah, but at least Sarah was a good person. Audrey will think it is a completely violation that Duke had sex with the very worst part of Audrey. And I think Duke knows this. He KNEW it was a betrayal last week but he was starved for contact with her and Mara was the Buffybot. And he doesn't even have that and she screwed him over for his trouble (for lack of a better word). And I think Audrey will hate him for it (at least for a little while). Audrey is usually the kind of person who can put up with a lot but I'm betting that crossed a line.
I'm sick of Dave and Vince being apart so much this season. Those two work best together.
WWE Superstar Christian: does he have it? No. Not like Adam Copeland. Good stunt casting, but Copeland has a movie career ahead of him. Christian doesn't.
Next week looks to be killer. I have never wished a mid-season break could be shorter. The entire arc of the past two seasons has been Duke, Nathan, Dwight and the Teagues putting aside their differences to save Audrey no matter the cost. And now that Audrey is back, Mara is driving them all apart. I think their friendship was a LOT more settled when they all had the same goal. Mara is a piece of work. Needless to say this was a five star episode. *****.
Bob's Burgers "Dawn Of The Peck"
It is only fitting that Bob had the only good Thanksgiving. It's his favorite holiday and his family just tossed it aside. I think Linda was right about why this was all happening.
Why aren't the Fischoeders in jail yet? Their criminality stopped being funny ages ago.
Linda's "Alpha Turkey" gambit was genius. Only Linda could come up with a plan that stupid. And it worked. Because turkeys are the only thing stupider than Linda.
Not bad. ***.
American Dad "A Boy Named Michael"
Welcome to the Flanderization of Greg and Terry.
No, I take it back. The Simpsons writers would never make Flanders try to murder somebody and be okay with thinking he got away with it if someone discovered he wasn't as pious as he lets other people think he is. This was much worse.
The worst part is that Greg and Terry's entire early shtick was that they were a completely surprisingly positive example of a loving gay couple. On TV that was unheard of in 2005. The fact that it was on a Seth MacFarlane show was the awesomest thing about it. Saying that Greg and Terry are actually shallow and horrible is unforgivable in my book. They adopted a daughter to fill a void in their lives. Not because they were trying to match the furniture. I'm actually angry about this.
The Sethverse writers don't really care about the integrity of their premises or their characters. Family Guy proves it practically every week and I'm furious it has started to affect American Dad. I swear to God, if they eff up Reginald because the writers are stuck for an episode idea I will lose it.
You suck, American Dad. 0.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine "USPIS"
Ed Helms has always been supremely talented performer in playing total jag-offs and has been since The Daily Show. A less charitable critic might surmise that only someone who is genuinely that unlikable in real life can so believably nail that in every part but I shall leave that theory for the scholars to debate decades from now.
This episode is notable for being the first teaser to end on Hitchcock and Scully. I'm glad the producers aren't afraid to do that.
Not bad, but I was getting as sick of Jack Danger as Peralta was. But Boyle is right. Peralta is pretty much the best person who ever lived. ***.
Stalker "Crazy For You"
Lame. Boring. This show in a nutshell. *.
Newsreaders "Headless Football Player / Identity Thief"
Skip Reming is SUCH a creep. I can't wait to see why side-boob has been replaces by side-balls.
Headless Football Player: Outside of the vagina jokes this wasn't funny. Fortunately the entire thing was half vagina jokes. **1/2.
Identity Thief: What if someone tricked some poor shmuck into stealing their lousy identity? Funny concept. ***.
Episode Overall: **1/2.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Good, The Bad, And Casey Jones
Soccer Mom disc of the new Turtles toon. The second season is unusually shabby and this isn't a particularly good run of episodes from it. It is better than the first volume though. "Of Rats And Men" is a bonafide classic and introduced Turtles fandom to Ice Cream Kitty. The rest of the episodes are hit and miss. Disc overall: ***.
Slash And Destroy:
"Bye Mr. Turtle!" The one cute thing in this frustrating episode. Remind me again why I should be glad the Turtles are gathering up the mutagen if they are going to be as reckless and careless as they are? They create more mutants themselves than if they had simply left the canisters alone. *1/2.
The Kraang Conspiracy:
A lot of fun. I love watching all of those clones get smooshed. Best line goes to Mikey: "I got April Derp on my 'chucks!" Robert Forrster has stated that if his comeback in Jackie Brown gave him a tenth of the career Pulp Fiction did to John Travolta, he'd be happy. He should be happy. And he didn't have to appear in Battlefield Earth to do it. ****.
The Good, The Bad, And Casey Jones:
I've noted before that Casey Jones has the ugliest character design on the series (what were they thinking?!) but that skull mask and facepaint are REALLY sick. Love it. Also the idea that he is afraid of rats. Now we know Splinter can keep him in check. Irma's nosiness takes on added significance after the season finale. ****.
Fungus Humungous:
The Turtles should have figured out what was happening immediately. It is NOT such a good idea to have the audience so far ahead of the heroes. It makes them look stupid. Now, I'm sure the writers thought that since this is a kids show, maybe they could fool the younger viewers. But younger viewers HAVE seen other cartoons. They've almost certainly been exposed to the "Fear Gas / Spores" trope on either Ben 10 or Batman. It would be more forgivable if the show hadn't previously painted Mikey as so pop-culture savvy. He should have recognized the scenario immediately, and I don't buy that he wasn't smart enough. On the upside, that Fantasia homage was a thing of beauty. Fantasia is one of those films that does NOT get brought up enough in pop culture or spoofs. And for such a groundbreaking gamechanger of a movie for the animation industry, and frankly, all of film, I'm always wondering why I'm seeing more Godfather, Wizard of Oz, or Star Wars references than Fantasia ones. Is it because it's classical music and without a clearly defined narrative? Maybe. But Once Upon A Time should NOT be the only show mentioning it. **.
Metalhead Rewired:
Spiderbyte is easily the worst character on this show. For someone so funny, I have never seen Lewis Black cast in anything good. Suffice to say, the less said about his embarrassing stint on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit as an unfunny radio shock jock, the better. Poor Metalhead. I like that the episode allowed Raph a little moment with Spike at the end. ***.
Of Rats And Men:
Fifty years from now, when the chronology of this era of Turtles canon is written, the 2012 show will be remembered for one iconic addition to the franchise. And no, it's not Dogpound, Fishface, or Tiger Claw. It is Ice Cream Kitty. He is a thing of genius. The rest of the episode was great too. I liked Casey's "This isn't helping my thing with rats..." and Splinter toying with Leo during the fight in the beginning was fun. But the biggest non-Ice Cream Kitty moment has to be Splinter's blind man fight with Rat King at the end. It is a REALLY complicated and mindbending storytelling premise, and yet the animation makes it read perfectly. Well done. *****.
Mutation Of A Scene:
More animatics. I'll say it again: they are wasting disc space replaying the entire three minute scene after the storyboard. Overall: ***.
Slash And Destroy: Slash turning evil. ***.
The Kraang Conspiracy: Interesting choice to detail a mostly talky scene but seeing how these are put together can be equally informative. ***1/2.
The Good, The Bad, And Casey Jones: Casey and Raph chasing the Footbot in the sewer. ***.
Fungus Humungous: The first freak-out. ***.
Metalhead Rewired: Metalhead's hero moment. ***.
Of Rats And Men: Gonna call foul. They SHOULD have detailed Splinter's final blind fight with Rat King. I would have liked to have seen the animated evolution of that. *.
Meet Casey Jones:
I am amused at the fact that the producer talking about how awesome Casey is seems completely unaware how repugnant his character design is. It would be one thing if he said "We consciously made him unattractive as a character choice." But this guy doesn't even seem to realize it's a problem. **.
DVD Menus: Animated Main Menu. ***.
Mickey Mouse Color Sundays: Robin Hood Rides Again By Floyd Gottfredson
More Mickey Mouse Sundays. As somebody said in the essay is now feel WEIRD to own every single Sunday strip Gottfredson ever made. I'm sure I'll feel a similar level of amazed when Fantagraphics finishes he Daily run in a few years.
For the record, the Sunday strips still mostly suck. But Mickey is less of a dirtbag once Goofy becomes the antagonist. Gottfredson's Goofy is easily my least favorite version of that character of all time. He is detestable and has no redeeming qualities. How Goofy wound up so beloved is due solely due to the cartoons. If Gottfredson has written the cartoons Goofy would be every bit as hated as Gladstone Gander.
Best stories are "Mickey's Rival" which is SO good is could have been a Daily strip (in fact the Daily strips DID do another version called "Love Trouble"), and "The Sheriff Of Nugget Gulch", which is great, if not as great as the essay on it would have you believe, and the Roald Dahl-esque strip "One Good Turn Deserves Another". Worst story is the gag strip where Mickey threatens to beat Pluto with a baseball bat to teach Morty and Ferdie a lesson (Framed). Yes, you read that right. Volume Overall: ***1/2.
"Mickey's Rival" And "Helpless Helpers" And Gag Strips:
I prefer the Daily Strip story of Mickey's Rival but this has one REALLY great gag in it. Helpless Helpers is a disappointment though. Overall: ****.
Mickey's Rival:
The Sunday version of Mickey's Rival has less to do with Mickey and Mortimer competing for Minnie's favor and more with pulling violent pranks on each other. Mickey's gag with punching Mortimer without touching him was the best. Totally worth a dollar. ****1/2.
A Dog Gong False Alarm: Stupid gag. **1/2.
Open, Says Me: This made me laugh. *****.
Mickey Chains His Dogs: Funny. ****.
Demon Drivers: This was a funny joke. ****.
Helpless Helpers:
I hate to say it but this is merely average. ***.
He Hit Him Back First: This is SUCH an old timey gag. They wouldn't do a joke like this today. ****.
You Asked For It: Ouch! ***1/2.
The Tooth Hurts: I've had recent dental problems. I can relate. ***1/2.
Floating Power: This is clever even though it would never work in real life. ***1/2.
"The Robin Hood Adventure"
REALLY cool story that reminded me of Gumby with Mickey falling into that book. A LOT of fun stuff and I really like how Mickey earned the respect of Little John, Robin Hood and Richard the Lion-Hearted. But... The ending was a HUGE let-down. ****.
"The Ventriloquist" And Gag Strips
The Ventriloquist was a disappointment and most of these gag strips suck because midway through, Goofy became the focal point of the strip, and Gottfredson's Goofy is extremely unlikable. All that said, While I would normally be inclined to give this substandard run of strips a single star it also contains the greatest Mickey Mouse Sunday strip of all time (well, maybe not, but it IS my personal favorite). Three and a half stars just for that. I wish it had occurred during a better run of strips though. Overall: ***1/2.
The Ventriloquist:
My first reaction to finishing this story: And THEN what happened? The daily strip would have made Mickey meeting a real Ventriloquist the jumping off point for an adventure. Here the story just stops when it's getting good. ***1/2.
Up And At 'Em: A groaner. But a FUNNY groaner. ****1/2.
One 'Cross, Two Down: Sap sums it up. ****.
Artists And Models: The logic of this escapes me. *1/2.
A Frightful Eyefull: Unfunny and boring. 0.
Goofy Did A Bang-Up Job: An old gag but Goofy is a REALLY literal character so they had to do it at least once with him. ****.
Hat Trick: Goofy isn't just dumb, he's low-class. I don't care HOW fancy a hat is, you don't pick one up and put it on when you find it in the street. ***1/2.
One Good Turn Deserves Another: Calling it: this is my favorite Mickey Mouse Sunday strip of all time. By far. It's a classic that I first read in my Gladstone reading youth. I later read a Roald Dahl story with the exact same premise and I'm betting he got the idea from this strip. What I love about it is that it subverts your expectations. Here Mickey is the lousy stool-pigeon and it is the pickpocket who is honest and honorable. Him doing that favor for Mickey at the end showed a level of class that Mickey did NOT deserve. My favorite Sunday comic and would have been my favorite strip ever if there wasn't an even funnier four panels in the Daily story "Captive Castaways". Excellent. *****.
He Don't Get It: This wasn't funny. **.
He's On The Way Down: Goofy is DUMB. *.
Tricks Of Your Own Trade: Minnie is a lot smarter than she lets on. But she said she has used this trick before. How many boyfriends has she actually HAD before Mickey? ****.
Ya Gotta Hand It To Him: This has actually happened to me. When I was a little kid I once cupped my hands to catch raindrops out of a store roof's gutter and somebody shoved a dollar into them. Even as a little kid, that was embarrassing. But, hey, free money. ****.
A Bunny Situation: Treacle and unfunny treacle at that. 0.
Goofy Knows The Ropes: This was hilarious but I'll just say it: Goofy was too clever here. It was out of character. ***1/2.
Goofy Sled Him On: THIS however is the kind of accidental genius Goofy is known for. MUCH easier to buy. Although I'll concede this strip isn't as funny as the last one. ***.
He Ain't Happy: I can't sympathize with Mickey because my reaction in the same situation would have been the exact opposite of his. I would have felt RELIEF that the item I had just destroyed was supposed to be mine. Mickey's lack of empathy here is very hard to get behind. *1/2.
Goofy's Plum Right: Goofy is still dumb but in this case, the joke is too. *1/2.
Cracked Ice: Serves Mickey right. **1/2.
Motor Mix-Up: This was funny but also a bit painful to read. Here Goofy plays a little bit like Michael Scott in his disastrous incompetence having negative consequences for the people around him. **1/2.
A Big Help: Stuff like this is the reason I so strongly dislike Gottfredson's Goofy. **.
He Just Couldn't Bear It: I didn't get the logic of this one either. **1/2.
He Can Dream, Can't He?: The fact that Gottfredson totally missed the homosexual implications of this strip tells me he wasn't ONLY an oblivious writer when it came to racial matters. **.
The Pay Off: Goofy is such a witless git. *1/2.
It Was All Very Con-Fuse-Ing: Goofy is a prat. I hate that the Sunday strip has turned into "The Goofy Show". *1/2.
Goofy's Demonstration Was A Flop: Michael "Goofy" Scott strikes again. This strikes me as no different than Michael ripping up some poor kid's expensive text book at Ryan's seminar to make a cliched point. I find stuff like that more painful than funny. *.
Dimbulbs: I'll admit it. Mickey deserved this. **1/2.
Goofy Lost His Memory Too: Another good example of Goofy's accidental cleverness. But it is AGAIN done in such a way that makes the character VERY unlikable. ***.
"Sheriff Of Nugget Gulch" And Gag Strips:
Sheriff Of Nugget Gulch is easily the best adventure serial the Sunday strip ever did. The Robin Hood Adventure was good too but its ending sucked. But despite the many plot holes and logic failures Sheriff of Nugget Gulch reads more like a Daily serial than any other Sunday story. It blows Lair of the Wolf Barker out of the water. Unfortunately, the gag strips in this run are hit and miss. More good ones than the ones that accompanied The Ventriloquist but only about half of them are funny and nearly ALL of them feature the characters behaving in quite deplorable and unpleasant ways. It is VERY easy to see why Gladstone and Gemstone reprinted so few Sunday gag strips. All of the characters were bad role models for kids! Overall: ****.
Sheriff Of Nugget Gulch:
I dunno, I think the editorial accompanying this story was a bit too hard on it. Yes, there are plot inconsistencies and changed premises but the same could be said for the early days of the daily strip. And the idea that the crummy and racist story "In Search Of Jungle Treasure" is better than this is laughable. The Sunday strips have almost ALWAYS been worse than the Dailies and this was about as good as an average Daily strip. About half of the Daily stories are worse than this and a good chunk of them more offensive. I had a good time reading this which is one of the few times I can say that for a Sunday serial. ****1/2.
Going, Going, Gone: Goofy is stupid. **.
Slightly Sidetracked: This was kind of a dirty trick on Mickey's part but Goofy deserved it. Me? I would have just taken a picture and shown it as a gag to friends. Wouldn't have wound up in jail for that. ***.
He's An Old Apple-Knocker: Of course Goofy's uncle is named Dizzy. He also has a cousin Dimwit, an Aunt Dumb@$$, and Grandma Developmentally Disabled. **.
Bedtime Bombardier: A rare Mickey strip without a single line of dialogue. It still "reads" easily enough. ***1/2.
Mickey Takes His Medicine: Figures JUST when Mickey channels The Boondock's Granddad Freeman that he runs out of medicine. Phooey. ***1/2.
A Book To Get Up In The Air Over: This is the second strip in this volume that says that Mickey is an avid book reader. That's a really positive trait to have. ****.
Mickey Had It On Ice: I find this gag just as ludicrous as Wile E. Coyote painting tunnels on cliff walls. But MUCH less funnier. *1/2.
Goofy's A Good Skate: Just desserts for Goofy. ***1/2.
Snowbound: Haven't seen Morty and Ferdie in awhile. Mickey had that coming. ***1/2.
They Took Mickey For A Sleigh Ride: Ditto. ****.
She Didn't Know Mickey Was Deseated: I really dislike Clarabelle too but that isn't just Gottfredson's version, it's ALL versions. Gottfredson's is the most well-known though. **1/2.
Mickey Got A Bum Steer: The was sort of like a Calvin and Hobbes sledding/wagon joke minus the philosophical discussions. But the artwork and pacing was nearly identical to Bill Watterson's. ***1/2.
He Fell For That Line A Second Time: My sympathies for the victim of Morty and Ferdie's prank are limited. ***1/2.
A Bang-Up Round-Up: An adventure serial in a single strip! *****.
A Rolling Pin Gathers No Remorse: Return of the Rascal Mickey. ***1/2.
-Snow Use: Minnie is HORRIBLE in this strip. Sometimes I think the Sunday gag strips are one of the only places you can see Disney characters treating each other like dirt with rotating villains. ***.
Faith, Hope, And Fraternity: Mickey is a bad Uncle. Donald Duck NEVER would have fallen for that trick. True, he wouldn't have given his nephews money for no reason either, but I think it is QUITE humorous that Carl Barks always depicted Donald as a better parent to his nephews than Mickey was to his in Gottfredson's Sunday strips.
The Wagon Yields: Serves Goofy right. You know how all later versions of Goofy are portrayed as near saint-like and innocent? Gottfredson's Goofy is EXTREMELY selfish and thoughtless. It is quite unpleasant. ***1/2.
"Service With A Smile" And Gag Strips
Decent gag story and some more hit and miss strips. Beware Dirtbag Mickey: he threatens to beat Pluto with a baseball bat in order to teach his toddler nephews a lesson. Buttmunch. Overall: ***.
Service With A Smile:
Servicable (Groan). ***1/2.
Two Mad Hatters: Morty and Ferdie are two really rotten little kids. ***.
Goofy's Theory Proven To Be De-Fenceless: Goofy's logic here is so stupid it doesn't even make ANY kind of sense. Most of his literal delusions do in some respect but not-so here. **
...And The Stand Of The Brave: Pretty funny. I love "accidental heroism". ***.
Pluto Showed Mickey He Was All Vet: So-so. ***.
Mickey's Well Attired: You. Cannot. Teach. Goofy. To be. Clever. Can't be done. The sooner Mickey realizes this, the less aggravated he will be. **1/2.
An Education For Mickey: I worry about some of Morty and Ferdie's pranks being imitatable. I'm betting they were in 1938. ***.
An Undercover Recovery: Mickey is the worst. ***1/2.
He's Funny That Way: Mortie and Ferdy channel Michael Vick. I'll say one thing for Dirtbag Mickey: he sure knows when to unleash his righteous fury. It isn't often but it is always well-earned. ****.
Well, Dunk My Cake!: What exactly is the lesson here? *.
Patience Is A Virtue: Minnie is ALSO the worst. **1/2.
Some Fun, Eh?: Goofy is a grade-A moron. ***1/2.
The Gift Of Gab: If you can't beat 'em, distract 'em with b.s.. Mickey shoulda been in politics. ****.
Minnie Was Entrance: Dang, Minnie. BUUUUURRRNNN. ***.
There Ain't No Justice: Goofy is so self-absorbed he can make telling the OTHER GUY'S story first seem narcissistic. ***1/2.
Framed: This strip is appalling and absolutely sickening. One of the worst Disney Comics I have ever read. 0.
You Can Count On Goofy: Goofy nearly wins a Darwin Award. ***.
This One's On Mickey: Free comedy tip, Mickey. NEVER count on Goofy to "get" your jokes. ***.
Grin, And Bear It, Mickey!: Cute. ***1/2.
You Can't Tell-His-Scope: I'll admit it. Goofy's stupidity is SOMETIMES amusing. ****.
"The Brave Little Tailor" And Gag Strips:
The Brave Little Tailor story is done in a different format than other Mickey Mouse strips. In it Mickey gets a phone call from Walt Disney and is treated as a bonafide movie star. That's kind of neat, but frankly, it's also a bit jarring. Once we get to the "movie" though the story is fine. Overall: ****.
The Brave Little Tailor:
Fantastic illustrations but it should go without saying that the animated cartoon itself is a thousand times better. By the way: you think the Marvel Cinematic Universe has synergy? Nobody, but NOBODY beat Disney at the promotion game in the 1920's and 30's. ****.
You Can't Film-Flam Goofy: Goofy may be the worst but at least at this point Mickey has figured that out. ****.
Goofy Amused Them With His Tails: Not funny. **.
You Can't Soot Everybody: Um, what? I have a sneaking suspicion this is supposed to be racist but I have no clue what the actual joke is. 1/2.
No Use Mnnie-Mizing The Evidence: Gottfredson's Minnie has always been all over the map. Sometimes she's clever, but sometimes she's as obnoxious as Daisy Duck. A cast of rotating villains is Mickey Mouse Sundays. **1/2.
The Later Years: Gottfredson Fill-Ins:
These are some of the occasional strips Gottfredson did to fill-in on the Sundays. I think they are better than the book's editor gives them credit for. For one thing, with the exception of the now too vanilla Mickey, every single character is more likable, particularly Goofy and Morty and Ferdie. I WILL concede however that the artwork sucks. I don't know what happened to Gottfredson in his later years but the early Daily strips and Sundays were some of the most on-model Disney Comics ever done. They looked EXACTLY like the animated cartoons which is only something I think Carl Barks was the only other person able to pull it off. Even Don Rosa and William Van Horn don't look completely on-model. Gottfredson's strip, instead of looking like an illustrated animated cartoon, now resembles Hi And Lois. I don't know if it's laziness, or a new mandate from Disney or what, but it's REALLY noticeable. Overall: ****.
What Goes Up: Funny Bill Walsh sight gag. ****1/2.
Sputnik Sundae: I would have eaten the HECK outta that sundae. ****.
Snob's Your Uncle: Those twitty nephews of Minnie were driving me nuts. **1/2.
But He Knows What He Likes: I see what the title writers of the book did there. ****1/2.
-For Man Nor Beast: Groan. **1/2.
Splash Test Dummy: That is ONE off-model Chief O'Hara. ***.
Snug In A Rug: At this point in the strip's run, Gottfredson is forced to use the dreaded "throwaway" gag that newspapers often cut to save space. Those obnoxious things ALWAYS throw off the pace of the strip, and is a big part of the reason both Bill Watterson and Berkeley Breathed renegotiated their comic strip deals to do away with them. ***1/2.
Brotherhood Is Powerful: I was exactly the same way as a kid. Morty and Ferdie are MUCH more relatable in the later years of the strip. ***1/2.
Delayed Reaction: Eh. All right. But plenty of the later strips are funnier than this. **.
East, West - Home Is Best: I will say this: Goofy is MUCH more likable in the later strips. *****.
Hat Check: This was fun. ***.
And The Grass Grew Green All Around: Deadly dull. *1/2.
Gottfredson Guest Stars: Donald Duck And Treasury Of Classic Tales:
These are the various non-Mickey comic strips Gottfredson drew throughout the years. None of them are as good as the Mickey Daily strips (although the two Donald Duck ones are about as good as a Mickey Sunday strip). Overall: ***1/2.
Donald Duck:
These two strips contain Pluto and Goofy respectively. I don't recall many other Donald strips that used the "Mouse" characters. Overall: ***1/2.
Dog Daze: Cute. ***.
Donald Scented Fowl Play: Donald had this coming. ***1/2.
Lambert The Sheepish Lion:
Nice artwork and faithful adaptation. But the cartoon itself is nothing special and the comic certainly doesn't improve upon it. **1/2.
The Seven Dwarfs And The Witch-Queen:
This is totally a Smurfs story. And the Witch Queen is Gargamel. ***.
Sleeping Beauty:
Not as good as the movie but better than you'd expect. ****.
101 Dalmatians:
Serviceable adaptation. ***1/2.
Sunday Pictorial Mickey Strip: An old Gottfredson strip with new dialogue. ***1/2.
Mickey And His Friends Strip: This pantomime strip is very interesting. I'd like to eventually see a collection of this short-run strip. ***1/2.
Scamp Strip: Cute. ***.
Gag Strips: A Mickey Supplement:
These are six strips by Bill Walsh and Manuel Gonzalez. The artwork is more detailed than Gottfredson's and the writing denser. Interesting. Overall: ***1/2.
Too Realistic: Beautiful artwork. ****.
Double Trouble: The strip used pink flesh tones in this era. I personally like it (even if it's pink instead of peach). I loved it when the Disney Comics in the 90's did that and the ducks' eyes robin's egg blue. ***1/2.
Sweet Smell Of Success: You see the look on Minnie's face in the last panel? You can totally tell she's putting Mickey on. You can't kid a kidder. ****1/2.
The Cat's Meow: Cute Pluto strip but I didn't like the ending. **1/2.
Bored Of Education: An Ellsworth strip. ***1/2.
Little Wooden Head: The idea of this strip is a ridiculous. It was a bit much. **.