Merry Misfits Book Club: January: Scrooge's Quest by Marv Wolfman

I'm doing two reading challenges this year.  One is the diversify your reading challenge, which I had previously posted about.  The other is in a facebook group I'm a part of.  I wasn't going to do posts like this for that second challenge, but then I realized I may as well.  Writing these is kind of fun and makes me think a little.  Anyways, lol...

January's theme was a book you were gifted over the holidays.  I didn't get a lot of books this time around, and I definitely picked this one out for myself, but it worked.  I read Scrooge's Quest, a Ducktales comic by Marv Wolfman and drawn by Cosme Quartieri.

This comic is a tie in to the 1987 Ducktales series, and it's really consistent in tone with that show.  It was a fun little adventure and honestly the art was gorgeous.  A lot of reviewers on Goodreads marked it down basically for not being Carl Bark, but it isn't trying to be.  It isn't claiming to be.  There's a lot of heart here and a lot of fun, even a few laughs.  I enjoyed it!  More thoughts here, in my Goodreads review.

I read this book between January 14th and 18th.  Quick read, but I wasn't spending a lot of time on it (because I was doing other things, not because I didn't want to).

Would I recommend this? If you like 1987 Ducktales and/or Duck comics, yes.  It's not Barks or Rosa, but that doesn't make it trash.

Thoughts

I've been in a bad, weird place mentally recently.  Just extra depressed.  I'm really tired of the way that I am, just always emotionally bland or very low.  It's gross and not cute, and I wouldn't want to spend time with me if I was someone else.  So.  It's not great.  I've been very stuck in this rut for a long time, and I'm scared I won't be able to get out.  But goddammit I'm trying.  I'm doing my best to keep my head up.  It doesn't show though, and I wish it did.  I feel like people around me look at me and see some bitch who is just content to be discontent, and that's not true.  I'm doing my best, but progress is discouragingly slow.  I'm so sorry to anyone that's been disappointed by me.

Diversify Your Reading Challenge 2019

Since I had fun with last year's reading challenge (12 meses, 12 libros) I've decided to do another one this year.  I decided to attempt the Diversify Your Reading Challenge!  I found it here on Mongan Moments, and the requirements are:

I grabbed a book for January while I was at the library yesterday.  I'm really excited to get started!

Book Log (Samhain to Yule)

I just used that title to make the post sound more interesting.  A little razzle dazzle because I read so little these last couple of months.  For various reasons.  But eh, you know.  We do what we can.  Anyways... As usual, comment below if you want to hear my thoughts on any of these titles.  Follow me on Goodreads for real time updates on what I'm reading and the occasional review.

You Are Special: Words of Wisdom from America's Most Beloved Neighbor by (Mister) Fred Rogers
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Ghastly Gothic Mansions by Joyce L. Markovics
Ducktales comics vol 1, 2, and 3
Mickey and Donald's Christmas Parade #1-4
A Treasury of Mermaids: Mermaid Tales from Around the World by Shirley Climo
Super Sons Vol. 3
Black Lightning: In Cold Dead Hands

12 meses 12 libros: December: just... several Christmas themed comic books

Imma keep it real wit you, chief.  I did not complete the assignment.  However I can explain, lol.  December's theme was a book with illustrations, and I actually picked the book I planned to read right around the same time I picked my January read.  I was going to read Tales of Zorro, a short story collection I actually bought back in 2017 when I was working on my Zorro NaNo story.  But since I had so many other Zorro books (ones I bought and ones I checked out of the library) I didn't end up reading everything, and since this particular book has nice illustrations I thought it would be perfect for that category.  However I ended up being really stressed, depressed, and even sort of busy and occupied with other things.  So I read a handful of Christmas themed comic books in the week leading up to Christmas, and that was about all I finished in the month.  However, it added up to a couple hundred pages so... book?  Book.

So a lot of Disney comics and one Betty and Veronica, all Christmas themed.  That's Betty and Veronica Christmas Spectacular #1, Mickey and Donald Christmas Parade #1-4, Dell's Four Color Comic #178, and Uncle Scrooge #9 (from the current IDW series).

Because there were several titles here, I'll have to do this a little differently than I usually do these posts.  I did put brief reviews of some of them on Goodreads, but I read them all pretty quickly and didn't want to bombard all my friends with tons of comic book reviews in a row, lol.  I'll just give my brief thoughts.

The Betty and Veronica comic is super short, just a standard 22 page issue with several shorter stories.  I was thinking it'd be a longer collection, like the ones they have for Halloween in the Pep Digital line.  It was cute, but not worth the $3 comixology asks.

The Mickey and Donald Christmas Parade issues were all really fun. Some were better than others (the second was my favorite), but they're all worth reading, especially if you like comics and Disney.  And Christmas, obvs lol.

Four Color #178 and Uncle Scrooge #9 are an interesting back to back read.  The four color story is Scrooge's first appearance in a story called "Christmas on Bear Mountain."  (Fun fact: Uncle Scrooge was actually created for the comics, not the cartoons!)  Scrooge is more of a curmudgeon than he is later, but it's still a fun story and very historically significant for fans of Disney Duck comics.  I originally read this story in the Carl Barks collection just called Christmas in Bear Mountain, so this was the first time I read the back up story (which wasn't written by Barks, but it was weird and fun -- Mickey and Goofy got jobs at Santa's workshop and had to find a missing reindeer).  Uncle Scrooge #9 is a retelling of that story, sort of a what-if, told from Scrooge's POV.  I enjoyed both of these a lot.

I would recommend these comics for the next holiday season!  Also, since I feel bad about not finishing and reviewing that Zorro book like I planned, I will review it when I finally do finish it.  (I've read two of seventeen stories and will be reading other stuff for reading challenges I'm working on for the new year, so it may not be soon... but I WILL do it, because I am a dumb and determined bitch,  lol.)