Review of "Red In the Flower Bed," by Andrea Nepa

 Review of

Red In the Flower Bed, by Andrea Nepa ISBN 9780981461991

Four out of five stars

Main point is not obvious

 The subtitle of this book is “An Illustrated Children’s Story About Interracial Adoption”, but it is hard to discern that part of the story. It is about a poppy seed that falls from the flower and drifts with the wind until it lands in a garden. Once it germinates and grows into a flower it finds itself inside a garden containing all types of flowers and it feels happy to be a part of such a diverse family. It is a red poppy and all the other flowers welcome the color because it completes the rainbow.

 While an adult can see the theme of interracial adoption after being told that is what the story is about, it is not self-evident. Nevertheless, it is a nice story about the fundamentals of belonging and accepting differences, one that teaches children a valuable lesson about accepting and appreciating those that are different from us and that come from different places.

Review of "Great Linebackers of the NFL," by Richard Kaplan

 Review of

Great Linebackers of the NFL, by Richard Kaplan

Four out of five stars

Contribution to the major debate on excellence

 The 1960’s could be considered the decade of the debate over NFL linebackers. Followers of the NFL regularly argued over who was the best linebacker, specifically middle, in the game. Dick Butkis, Ray Nitschke, Mike Curtis and Tommy Nobis were the primary names featured in those conversations. This book contains brief biographies of those players as well as some who played outside linebacker.

 One of the most positive features of the book is that some of the earlier stars are included. All-time great linebackers such as Mel Hein and Bulldog Turner are also featured. They were both two-way players that excelled on both sides of the ball and are not well known.

 This is very much a YA sports history book written in the form of books published in the 1960’s. The content is laudatory and there is none of the dirt on players that now seems obligatory in books about stars in any sport. It is a simple, fun read.

Review of "Siegel and Shuster Dateline 1930’s, Previously Unpublished Work From the Creators of Superman, Number 2," Eclipse Comics

 Review of

Siegel and Shuster Dateline 1930’s, Previously Unpublished Work From the Creators of Superman, Number 2, Eclipse Comics

Five out of five stars

Other work by the creators of Superman

 Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster are rightfully given credit for the creation of the iconic character of Superman. He was created in 1934, at the height of the Great Depression, and Siegel and Shuster were in many ways just trying to survive financially. Superman was just one of many characters that they created in that time frame, yet the others were generally put away and forgotten.

This comic consists of some of that work. Most of the pages contain a series of stories about the two characters Snoopy and Smiley. If you are experienced in the early work of Siegel and Shuster, you will recognize the appearance of the Waif in story number 7. A main premise is that when Smiley receives a blow to the head, he briefly becomes capable of accurately predicting the future. Snoopy uses this to make a great deal of money.

 The remainder of the content is a series of rough sketches of the characters of Kaye, Inko, Bruce Verne, the Waif, Cornelius and Gloria Glamour. It is difficult to read the dialog of these captions.

Creating Superman would have been enough creative activity for several years. In this comic, you see some of the other products of these two extremely creative minds. Although the other characters did not become popular, they do show a high level of imagination and demonstrate unrealized potential.

Review of "Siegel and Shuster Dateline 1930’s, Previously Unpublished Work From the Creators of Superman," Eclipse Comics

 Review of

Siegel and Shuster Dateline 1930’s, Previously Unpublished Work From the Creators of Superman, Eclipse Comics

Five out of five stars

Other work by the creators of Superman

 Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster are rightfully given credit for the creation of the iconic character of Superman. He was created in 1934, at the height of the Great Depression, and Siegel and Shuster were in many ways just trying to survive financially. Superman was just one of many characters that they created in that time frame yet the others were generally put away and forgotten.

This comic consists of some of that work as well as a short interview of Siegel and Shuster by Shel Dorf. Readers that have read the early stories featuring Superman will immediately recognize the artwork and dialog as being that of Siegel and Shuster.

 There are several short stories featuring other original characters. Some of them are “The Waif,”, “Spuds,” “Gloria Glamour,” “Ma Jenkins,” “Snoopy and Smiley,” and “The Radio Team.” All of the stories are one page in length My favorite was “The Waif,” a poor boy that walks up to a fancily dressed woman that is sipping on what looks like an ice cream soda. He pulls a mouse out of his pocket, which scares the woman away. He then proceeds to finish off her soda.

 Creating Superman would have been enough creative activity for several years. In this comic, you see some of the other products of these two extremely creative minds. Although the other characters did not become popular, they do show a high level of imagination and demonstrate unrealized potential.

Review of "The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter," by Ian O’Connor

 Review of

The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter, by Ian O’Connor ISBN 9780547327938

Five out of five stars

Book, like the subject, is a throwback

 In many ways, the tone of this book is very pre-Bouton. Before the publication of the now classic “Ball Four” by Jim Bouton, books about sports figures tended to be laudatory and lacking in any semblance of dirty laundry about the players. After that book was published, the authors felt free to expose all the faults of the athletes along with their successes. Sometimes, there seemed to be an emphasis on the negative.

 The subject is of course the longtime Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter. In many ways, Jeter was a throwback to the old days. He spent 20 years in the major leagues and every single inning he played was as a Yankee. Jeter also played nearly every day and was as close to a model citizen as is possible in the modern world.

 This is the story of his life and either by choice of the author or because there was very little to report, there was almost nothing negative in the descriptions of how Jeter conducted himself, both on and off the field. At a time when steroids were rampant in baseball, there was never a hint that he was a user of anything in the way of a PED.

 An all-time great baseball player, Jeter deserves the accolades, as in many ways he was a role model for people in all areas of sports. Despite his incredible talents, he had an unbelievable work ethic. Unlike so many other players with comparable talent, there was not an inkling of tendency to self-destruct.

Review of "The Muppet Show Comic Book," by Roger Langridge et. al.

 Review of

The Muppet Show Comic Book, by Roger Langridge et. al. ISBN 9781934506851

Five out of five stars

The charm of the show is captured in graphic novel form

 This graphic novel is in essence a Muppet Show rendition in comic form. The main characters are presented in sketches that are absurd yet maintain the quirkiness of those unforgettable personalities. The two old men hecklers in the balcony pop up on a regular basis to give their caustic comments on what they have just seen.

 The Muppets are in the wild, aboard a spacecraft, in a science lab, under insurance audit and dancing in a ballroom. The longest running story is where an insurance agent is trying to determine for the formal records what kind of creature Gonzo is. It is not an easy task, for how do you define the undefinable.

 Truly unique characters in the history of entertainment, the Muppets are some of the best characters ever created. Each one is a work of genius, and there are so many.

Review of "Muppet Robin Hood," by Ross Richie et. al.

 Review of

Muppet Robin Hood, by Ross Richie et. al. ISBN 9781934506790

Five out of five stars

Entertaining retelling of the Robin Hood story

 In this graphic novel, the Muppet characters assume the roles of the characters of the Robin Hood story and tell it in their own way. The overall plot is similar to that of the original story, but of course given that they are the Muppets, there is a great deal of poetic license taken.

 Kermit is of course Robin Hood and Miss Piggy is Maid Marion. The dialog is truly that of the Muppet characters, especially the attitude of Miss Piggy, yet the sense of the story is generally preserved. It is a fun and entertaining rendition of a classic story, one that children will love to read, further preserving the legend of the noble robber that takes from the rich and gives to the poor.