My Rating
“Do It Again, Willie”
Willie finds a strange sign hanging from a neighborhood for everyday. It reads “please turn me over”. What can it possibly say? Willie’s on the case!
“Finders Keepers”
“The Man” is always keeping Willie and the boys down. Why is Officer Flagg hassling Willie over one dropped gum wrapper? It’s time to split before that Jive Turkey kills the scene, man.
Over at the soda shop, Dee Dee is always playing for a free drink. Willie wants to know why his girl won’t buy him a soda for once. I guess Dee Dee isn’t into the whole women’s lib jive. Willie checks his pocket for his five dollar bill. Where did his bread go? The gum wrapper!
“Spanish Food For Thought”
José Martinez is in dire straits this morning. According to the El Diareo newspaper three-thousand Spanish families live in his area but only ten candy stores to service their needs. Maria wants to know why her father is so glum. Where’s his share of the customers?!
“Happy Birthday, Frankie”
It’s Dee Dee’s Birthday and the gang is on the way. Dynomite! Her main squeeze Frankie is first on the scene with a gift for his Foxy lady. What a charmer. If there was only way to repay his sweet talk? Here Frankie have one of Dee Dee’s gifts.
The more friends that show up at apartment #206 the more gifts Dee Dee gives to Frankie. Man, that dude is one smooth operator. At the end of the night who has more swag, the Birthday girl or her man? It ain’t no jive, but Frankie can’t wait for Melba’s Birthday party next week. Now that woman has lots of friends!
“Don’t Thread On Dee Dee”
“Come on Pop, I have to have it!” Dee Dee needs those new threads to impress Frankie of he might forget her. Dee Dee’s father thinks otherwise. “No daughter of mine is going to dress like that”, her Pops barks. He knows all about those turkeys and their angles. Boys will be boys no matter how flashy they dress. So how is Dee Dee going to convince her dad otherwise?
“The Good Old Days”
Jabar spends more time on the street corner preaching about African heritage than living a real life. That’s what Dee Dee says anyways. Does one need to dress the part to represent? What about speaking Swahili? Dee Dee has a lesson to teach Jabar, but is he willing to learn about the modern sista’s?
“Lost Souls”
Willie and Jo-Jo have been cruising the backroads on their motorcycles all day. What a blast, but things just got real. They are lost in Squaresville, baby. Can a simple farmer help the two find their way back to Mocity? What about Clayville? Nope!
“King of Kung-Fu”
Hannibal is feeling low down, man. All of those jive turkey out there these days know Kung-Fu and Judo. Whatever happened to pure muscles? Dee Dee and Willie thinks Hannibal needs to flow with the times. It’s time for the neighborhood muscle to get a new bag. Welcome to the Mocity School of self defense. It’s time to get with the hustle!
“The One And Only”
Jabar and Dee Dee get into a debate over slavery. Did the brothers sell Slaves as well? Now, man, it was the system! But was it the system that snatched Mrs. Jones’ purse last night? Just like a woman to be prejudice!
Reviewer Notes
…lay her down, or smack ’em, yak ’em! Look out Archie, there’s some new blood in town. Welcome to Mocity, home to Fast Willie Jackson and his friends. This highly sought after comic book series was the brainchild of Fitzgerald Periodicals. They took everything that worked well with Archie Comics and produced this unique spin-off modeled on black culture.
Set in 1976 Mocity, we follow the lives of several high-school kids as they navigate their way through the “The System”. Some like Dee Dee and Frankie embrace their world and focus on having fun. While those like Jabar and Hannibal who try holding on to the past with mixed results. Then there’s those like Willie Jackson who fall somewhere in the middle. Can you say Karate flicks?
To be honest I came into this thing with low expectations. I have to admit this was a really fine production piece. I must research this series a bit more, but I really think Fast Willie Jackson should have had a longer run. I’m giving the first issue four jive turkeys out of five.
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