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BOOK REVIEW! THE MIDNIGHT COLLECTION - PT 2 FROM THE PAGES OF SMASH COMICS (Classic Comics Library)

Shee-yucks, but I gotta admit that I am beginning to prefer Midnight over the Spirit and if that seems like comic book BLASPHEMY to you well, so what? Now those SPIRIT comics, whether Will Eisner did 'em or not, were pretty overwhelming what with their "noir"-ish (oooh, how chic!) stories and above par Golden Age artwork, but MIDNIGHT had that crazed edge that really appeals to the anti-intellectual turdburger comic fan in me---and this is from a guy who thought that a lot of that fine-lined art of the seventies was perhaps a little too classy for anyone's tastes. And yeah I know that comic snobs like Art Spiegelman have waxed heavy praise of MIDNIGHT creator Jack Cole's style 'n swerve, but after I wash that fact outta my system and handle these comics like any true-to-form suburban slob kid woulda done at the time it's more'n OBVIOUS that these do look and read all the more smoother ifyaknowaddamean...

By the time these MIDNIGHTs hit the corner stand Paul Gustavson had taken over the series, and although this particular fanabla was a good enough GA-era artist I miss Cole's crazy vision and weirded out style. Still the stories remain top notch excitement, much better'n the Timely material of the same stratum and come to think of it even classier'n much of the DC output of the time what with Quality's tendency to create heroes and stories that seemed to go beyond the usual Golden Age patterns into rather hilarious realms that I never did see elsewhere.

Only real beef I have with MIDNIGHT at this time is the introduction of the phony sleuth Sniffer Snoop and his polar bear cub pet Hotfoot, both who really do nothing but get in the way of the comic's entire ebb and flow. Dunno why these two were slapped into an otherwise well oiled comic (I mean, Gabby the talking monkey and Doc Wackey were enough sidekick material), but they were and unfortunately the two stayed with the series until the very end which I don't think helped out any (though it didn't hinder it...well that much). But hey, with the good sagas and better than expected art it ain't like I'm cryin' any big tears but the two do drag on the proceedings almost as bad as your testicles did on the sidewalk after lifting that heavy birdbath all by yourself.

Again these were taken directly from old issues of SMASH comics, none of which you would say were in VG+ condition or better. If you're a stickler for pristine reproductions forget it, for these pages are chock fulla not only less-than-stellar art reproduction (as if most of these printers took that much care with the originals in the first place) but age spots and booger stain that really do conjure up that kiddoid feeling of collecting these ever-decaying originals long ago. I'll bet that your mother discouraged you from buying used comics because who knows where the originals might have been, or as my mother once said... (I can already hear Brad Kohler laughing his head off of something I told him I would NEVER print on a blog such as mine in a millyun years!)