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Mild Mannered Reviews - Super Friends

Super Friends #21

Super Friends #21

Scheduled to arrive in stores: November 18, 2009

Cover date: January 2010

"Happily Never After"

Writer: Sholly Fisch
Penciller: Stewart McKenny
Inker: Dan Davis
Cover: J. Bone

Reviewed by: Adam Dechanel

Click to enlarge


Roll Call: A King, a Princess, a Dark Knight, a Man of Steel, a Man of Lightning and a Man of Light

Chapter One:

The Super Friends stumble upon an old book in their satellite base but when they open it they are all suddenly whisked away! When they recover they find themselves in a storybook world where tall tales and children's novels are reality - under the rule of the Queen of Fables!

Diana asks the Queen why they've been transported to this strange new world and the Queen points out the Super Friends are the stuff of stories and legends therefore they belong under her rule!

Again magic envelops them and the friends find themselves mixed up in all manner of stories. Diana meets a talking squirrel, Flash bumps into a group of dwarves, Arthur into a giant and hungry shark, Superman meets John Henry, Batman meets a young hero named Robin and John meets a fighter on horseback!

Activity: Storybook Scramble Puzzle

Chapter Two:

Superman helps John Henry clear a path for his steel driving. Arthur outsmarts the shark that had been able to match everything he could do in a series of challenges - except walk on land! Diana and the squirrel are met by Baba Yaga; a misunderstood sorcerer whom Diana is able to convince to be their friend! John Henry unwittingly unlocks a puzzle that the fighter on horseback was trying to solve along with his two brothers. Flash is able to turn a cruel trick against one of the dwarves he met who turns out to be Rip Van Winkle! Batman meanwhile deduces that Robin is in fact the native American trickster spirit - Coyote and as with the others is able to extend a hand of friendship and a path right back to the Queen of Fables!

The Queen is angry the Super Friends have been able to make a mockery of her kingdom and summons all of the evil characters she can, to force the Super Friends into submission.

Activity: What's Your Story Create Kit

Chapter Three:

Diana realizes that the Queen of Fables' power derives from the magic of stories and legends that are shaped by the imagination and if they concentrate hard enough they could shape the Story World as the Queen had before them!

Suddenly all the fierce creatures and villains are at a garden tea party!!

The Queen points out that even if they change things and leave, once the Super Friends are away the Queen can change everything back. Not so points out John Stewart and he reminds her of some magic words that end stories "Happily Ever After - The End!"

Suddenly in a flash of light the heroes are back on the satellite! Exhausted by their magical adventure the heroes place the storybook in their trophy room and go back to protecting the Earth!

Activity: A Never Ending Story Puzzle

SECRET CODE: XOLI DBXIN CBY NBZSRKW CEX GSIN INO PEVOY CYSOXRP!

4Story - 4: For once the story was really engaging! Nice to see cameos from storybook characters and their interactions with the Super Friends, but the scope of the story cramped into chapters really made it suffer. A shame, for if it had been fleshed out more - perhaps over two issues - this would have been a 5/5.

4Art - 4: You can tell the art team had a blast this issue, the sheer amount of care and cameos is proof of that! The visual gags and even the illustrations in the border really work to make the overall book very engaging!

2Cover Art - 2: A bit of a rush job this time round. I get the 'storybook theme' but the cover is nothing like the interior and thus it is marked low. I get the feeling this was done before the story...

Mild Mannered Reviews

2010

Note: Month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

January 2010

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