Sugar & Spike.......Really!?!

Review by Darryl. 

Amongst a huge stack of digests (all Archie, sadly),  my trained eye spotted two (!) "The Best of DC"!  My heart skipped a beat in excitement. I had been to probably 30 thrift stores since my last find and I was starting to get a little discouraged.  Earlier in the day I had spoken to Dan and expressed the dry spell I was in.  He offered encouragement like, "The next BIG find is just around the corner, etc" and we reminisced about the huge number of digests DC had in fact published.  In almost a 'throwaway' comment Dan mentioned Sugar and Spike.  It was one of those throwaway comments like, "If we find any Sugar and Spike digests, we should throw them away, because that would be like the least appealing of all the DC Digests to find etc".  Well, if it ain't Sugar and Spike at the next store I visit, this time a used book shoppe.  My heart sunk just as it would've back in the early eighties had I saved my money, went to the corner store in hopes to find a Superman or Batman comic only to find the shelf bare, except for Sugar and Spike.

 I'm not even going to attempt to review the first "Bernie The Brain" story or the Halloween Special with that dastardly character "The Octopus", it's low rent humor, you either enjoy it or you don't.  I don't think telling our fine readers about the synopsis of these adventures will properly bridge the intellectual mastery that is the basis for many of these stories.  Sugar & Spike is to be read and enjoyed at the beach or in the car on the way to the beach.

The letters to the editor however proved too entertaining not to share.  Here's one that speaks volumes as to the state of the comic book industry in the early '80's.

Dear Editor,
WONDER WOMAN, WONDER WOMAN,
WONDER WOMAN, WONDER WOMAN,
WONDER WOMAN, WONDER WOMAN.
     Well, you asked for it so here goes,
First, about the sixth annual YEAR'S BEST COMICS STORIES, this is the sixth
time in a row that Wonder Woman has not made it. Last year I was sure she'd get
in with the story from WW #310, but she didn't.  I wrote a very angry letter pointing out the injustice,
but I didn't send it because I knew "they'd" pay no mind.  Well now you've asked for input about the digests.  Thank you.  I will forgive the past injustices against Wonder Woman if you will please do a digest of Wonder Woman stories.
Since the digests were started, WW hs never gotten one to herself.  Superman, LSH, JSA and JLA have several.  Jonah Hex, Green Lantern, Flash and Batman have all had digests, but never Super-Heroine Number One.

Why has she been slighted so many times?  In fact, she has never had a special or annual.  Please, oh, please, will you do a Wonder Woman digest?  And could the stories be old ones?  However, don't print any of the stories that were use in the WW book by Tempo Books in 1978.  And please don't print any stories from the time WW had lost her memory and was with I Ching.  I haven't read any of those stories, they were a little before my time.  Stories from issues 209 to 222 would be nice and also stories from before WW lost her memory.  The stories should be ones that built up her legend, show her intelligence, wisdom, caring and sense of humor.
An absolute must is to use her original logo.  It looks bold, yet feminine.  It is a much better logo than the current one or the one before the current logo.  Editor, this Wonder Woman fan would greatly appreciate your efforts in making a WW digest that all may enjoy and that does her justice. Please will you grant me one wish?

Sincerely,
Elaine
Dade City, FL

P.S.
WONDER WOMAN, WONDER WOMAN,
WONDER WOMAN, WONDER WOMAN,
WONDER WOMAN, WONDER WOMAN.

Here is the response from the Editor,

Gee, Elaine, I'd love to grant your wish,...but before you start calling me names, let me point to a survey conducted by one of our rival companies.  They asked the usual questions about stories, favorite characters, etc, but a vital question was: Are you male or female?  Astonishingly, 95% of those asked checked off: Male.  Boys do not pick heroines as role models.  We're hoping more girls would begin reading comics in the future.  In the meanwhile, I have some good news.  WW Editor Al Gold informs me that he has chosen "Night of Many Wonders" (WW #323) as a candidate for the next YBCS.

LMAO!!!