When the villain is...Mother Goose?

Best known for its critically acclaimed licensed adaptations, with "Legendary Talespinners" Dynamite has simply borrowed the spirit of a beloved classic and tossed in some fresh ingredients to create something fresh, new and joyful.

In many ways, the first issue reads like a contemporary version of "Miracle on 34th Street," sans Christmas theme.

We are immediately introduced to ultra-serious Abby, a medical-school student who is a paragon of professionalism and punctuality, and determined to be the best intern at the free clinic where the majority of the story takes place.

Her roommate, Tina, is her polar opposite and tries to get her to loosen up and have fun.

A better influence on Abby comes in the form of a patient at the clinic named Mr. Munnikhouson, who claims that he is actually the legendary talespinner, Baron Munchausen.

Professing himself to be a "purveyor of the preposterous," and that fantastic stories, like those of Mother Goose, were actually real, Mr. Munnikhouson is dismissed and derided as a kook, except by the kind-hearted Abby.

But Abby refuses to believe much of Munnikhouson's tale until a couple of thugs come to capture him - on orders from . . . Mother Goose.

What follows is an escapist adventure through the corrupted Storybook Forest as Abby must reclaim and embrace her childhood imagination or become a victim of Mother Goose.

"Talespinners" gets Comics Guy's highest possible recommendation.

With "The Waking" a critical and commercial success that embellishes Ft. Washington-based Zenescope's reputation for producing quality horror comics, writer Raven Gregory shared some of his thoughts on the project with Comics Guy.

" 'The Waking' is very much a labor of love," Gregory said. "I grew up on the old horror comics - EC Comics, House of Mystery and House of Secrets - stories where the flesh-eating zombie had yet to truly surface. A lot of 'The Waking' is a throwback to those early tales, where the zombies aren't mindless creatures but more of a being intent on a particular purpose, whether it be revenge or being used as an instrument of justice from beyond the grave. Taking that and mixing it with my love for procedural crime shows just felt like a perfect fit.

"I'm not sure how the element of comedy got mixed into the story," he added. "It really did come up and about from nowhere. I am actually deftly afraid of writing comedy, and although I love it I don't believe I have a comedic bone in my body."

Speaking of horror, the "Nightmare on Elm Street" franchise is being rebooted. Can you name the number of films Wes Craven's Freddy Krueger has starred in so far and the actor who played him in all of them? First 10 people with the correct answers get a free copy of "The Waking" No. 1. Any entries without full name and mailing address will be disqualified.

Tony DiGerolamo

South Jersey native Tony DiGerolamo, part of the Philadelphia improv comedy scene for years, has just published the second collection of the webcomic "SuperFrat," co-created with Christian Beranek.

"Super Frat" is what you get when you cross "Animal House" with not-so-supermen, and new strips can be found twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) at www.superfrat.com.

Super Frat is about a fraternity that gets hit by a meteor, giving all but one of the brothers powers.

Unfortunately, instead of using their powers like superheroes do, they just drink beer, get laid and sometimes fight crime. It's loosely based on the real-life antics of Lambda Sigma Rho at Ryesmore University, in upstate New York.

The latest collection is "Super Frat/Dick Masterson Special."

Comics Guy got to see an advance screening of the "Kick-Ass" movie, and all he will say for now is that it does. More on the film in the coming weeks.

E-mail comicsguy@phillynews.com