Review of "Marvel Swimsuit Special 1993"

Review of

Marvel Swimsuit Special 1993

Five out of five stars

 This issue is an obvious parody of the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. In this case, the images are artwork of Marvel comic book heroes and villains wearing skimpy outfits that bulge in the proper locations. The premise is that the troll Pip wins Infinity Gems in a poker game and uses them to transport the hero babes and brawn to Monster Island for a massive party.

 It is a series of pinups where the women are wearing very skimpy outfits and seem in a state of bliss, with seductive smiles atop sensual poses. The male heroes are hunks with bulging muscles and big vees down below. Exactly what will generate interest in early adolescent readers.

 Each image has a short caption describing the character and the context in which they appear. All of it is in fun, as it is all posing and no fighting action. It is an enjoyable interlude, for it presents the heroes as human, with the desire to be attractive and have an opportunity to relax from the stress of saving the world.

Review of "Fugitoid #1"

Review of

Fugitoid #1

Two out of five stars

 The plot of this comic is one that has been used before, due to a scientific device designed to allow a person to telekinetically move objects and a freak lightning strike, the mind of a scientist is transferred into that of a work robot. That robot is gardening when it gets tangled up in an underground cable and when the human scientist goes out to offer aid while wearing the device, they are both struck by a powerful bolt of lightning. The human body is fried, so the robot is accused of murder.

 A power-hungry general was demanding that the scientist create a matter transmission device, with it he could transport bombs to anywhere in the universe, destroying all enemies and taking power via threats of destruction. The general quickly realizes that the robot contains the consciousness of the scientist, so it becomes a game of cat and mouse between the general’s forces and the intelligent and physically powerful robot. Hence, the name fugitoid in reference to the robot.

 The story is pretty predictable until the last caption, when it suddenly takes a dramatic turn when a familiar set of heroes suddenly appear to rescue the fugitoid from the general’s forces. All captions are in black-and-white yet are very detailed in construction. The heads of the humans and other intelligent bipeds are very expressive. The plot of the device containing powerful information that can lead to a takeover of the galaxy if it falls into the wrong hands is an old one. Here, it is expressed in a good, but not great way.

Review of "Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain," by Verna Aardema

Review of

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain, by Verna Aardema ISBN 9780142410790

Five out of five stars

 The Nandi are an ethnic group in East Africa, living in the highlands of Kenya. This book is about a particular area called the Kapiti Plain and is a Nandi folktale about a drought and how one man was able to bring rain to the plain.

 This area of the Nandi homeland is normally lush and green due to plentiful rain, but this year there is none. The pastureland is brown, and the cattle are hungry. Ki-pat is a herder and he watches the desiccation of the land and the suffering of his cattle and the wild animals. Clouds come over and appear to be dark with embedded rain, but none falls. Eventually Ki-pat fashions a stout bow and shoots an arrow into the sky. Like a pierced balloon, the cloud sheds its’ water and the land is quickly green once again.

 Adapted to the rhythm of the fairy tale, “The House That Jack Built,” this story is an expression of a folk tale that was discovered by an anthropologist in the early years of the twentieth century. It is a short and illustrative example of what is most important to herders, rain so that there is natural feed for their cattle. This book is a good addition to libraries where knowledge of other cultures is considered important.