Wall-E #1

December 23, 2009

Wall-E #1 (Boom! Kids)
By J. Torres & Morgan Luthi

This is really the second issue of Wall-E, and like the zero issue, this Christmas-themed tale follows a pre-movie Wall-E as he roams a mostly dead Earth. As we saw in the film, Wall-E is collecting the objects he finds most fascinating, and that includes a curiously colored light bulb… if only he can figure out how to turn it on. The mostly wordless nature of this series really works well to hammer home the emotion here. This is a terribly lonely story, one that reflects the sweet, simple main character perfectly. The last panel is one of the sweetest, most simple expressions of the season I’ve seen in any comic I’ve read this year. The cover artist, for some reason, isn’t credited herein, but whether it’s Luthi or someone else, this cover is a real masterwork. If you loved the Wall-E movie, this issue is highly recommended.
Rating: 9/10

Wizards of Mickey #1

February 6, 2010

Wizards of Mickey #1 (Boom! Kids)
By Stefano Ambrosio, Alessandro & Lorenzo Pastrovicchio, Saida Temofonte & Magic Eye Studios

Spinning off from the storyline in Mickey Mouse and Friends, this fantasy series casts Mickey, Donald, and Goofy as aspiring sorcerers in a far-off fantasy land. Our heroes are enrolled in a tournament in an attempt to gain powerful magic stones — Diamagics — that Mickey needs to rescue his master from the powerful Phantom Blot. This issue, they find themselves in battle with their friends, Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, and Clarabell Cow, otherwise known as Diamond Moon. While Mickey needs power to rescue Nereus, Minnie needs a specific Diamagic for her own worthwhile purposes, leaving Mickey to make a choice. We also find out more about the Blot’s plan this issue. Initially, I wasn’t a huge fan of this storyline, but as it progressed over the four issues of Mickey’s title, it started to grow on me. Here we get a chance to dig deeper into the magic world Ambrosio and his art team have created for this book. It’s certainly not the same as the usual “Disney Universe,” but as a kind of side-continuity, it stands on its own pretty well. The characters are still themselves, but there’s a certain freedom here to mix things up that I like. The art is a nice mix of fantasy and comedy, and overall, I think this is a title that could have legs.
Rating: 8/10

Donald Duck and Friends #349

January 9, 2010

Donald Duck and Friends #349 (Boom! Kids)
Fausto Vitaliano, Marco Bosco, Vitale Mangiatordi, Marco Mazzarello, Saida Temofonte, Stefania Bronzoni & Magic Eye Studios

Secret Agent Double Duck’s next assignment sends him undercover as a waiter for a fancy party. The host is the secret head of a criminal empire, and Donald is just the man to hunt him down. What he didn’t know, however, is that Gladstone, Daisy, and Uncle Scrooge will all be in attendance, and Donald Duck’s pride may just screw up Double Duck’s mission. This is a nice little story here. Seeing Donald’s natural personality come into conflict with his new duties as a super-spy makes for some nice comedic moments, and the second story (a continuation of the first) injects more laughs into the book. Donald breaks the fourth wall here a few times, talking directly to the audience, but that’s never really a problem. It happens when it’s funny, and it doesn’t disrupt the flow. Good issue.
Rating: 8/10

The Incredibles: Family Matters #3

July 10, 2009

Quick Rating: Great
Title: Family Matters Part Three

Powerless, Mr. Incredible watches his family go into battle without him!

Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Marcio Takara
Colors: Andrew Dalhouse
Letters: Jose Macasocol, Jr.
Editor: Paul Morrissey
Cover Art: Marcio Takara
Publisher: Boom! Kids

A monster attack at the mall sends Helen, Violet, and Dash into action, while a powerless Bob sits and home with the baby. As he watches his family fight on television, Bob stumbles on a clue that just may unlock the problem of his power loss.

The hook here is really fantastic. Mark Waid has put together a story that really suits these characters, and the subplot collides with the main story perfectly here. Everything that’s been bubbling up, including the use of the new characters, comes together. It’s hard to say too much without spoiling it, but things work just as they should here.

Getting away from the plot, Waid also has to be commended for the emotional punch we get from this issue. A big part of the story consists of Bob sitting at home, tortured over how he’s lost his powers. Again, though, he throws us the curveball. Most superhero stories would feature the powerless hero worrying about his family, in battle without him. Bob doesn’t go down that route, though. Instead, he watches and roots for them, which isn’t something I can ever remember seeing in a comic before. Sure, he wishes he was there, and he tries to contact the family with advise, but you don’t get the feeling that he doesn’t trust them. He’s got faith in his family. He just wants to be with them. It’s such a great take on the character, and it really makes the series.

Marcio Takara’s art is, also, very good. Waid writes some good, emotional moments, but Takara is the one who has to sell them through the poses, the posture, the faces, the mood. He nails it on every panel. You can look at Mr. Incredible and tell exactly how he feels in any given panel. There aren’t nearly enough artists working right now who have that kind of skill.

One issue left, I’m loving this book.

Rating: 9/10

Toy Story (2009 Series) #0

December 12, 2009

Toy Story #0 (Boom! Kids)
Jesse Blaze Snyder, Nathan Watson & Brent Schoonover

The ongoing Toy Story comic kicks off with “The Return of Buzz Lightyear Part One.” A new gift appears in Andy’s room in August for no reason — there’s no holiday, no birthday, no reason to give him a present. Grandmas just do that sometimes. But Grandmas also sometimes give their grandson a toy he already has. Andy’s mom promises they can return the toy and get a new one, but unbeknownst to the humans, the toy has broken free from his packaging and is fighting his counterpart in Andy’s room for the right to stay. I was a little let down by some of the issues of the first Toy Story miniseries, but this zero issue knocks it out of the park. We get a funny story, and maybe more importantly, a totally original story that could only be applied to these characters. This isn’t a take or a riff off either movie, it’s something smart and something new. Mickey Clausen colors Nathan Watson‘s line art, and he does a great job differentiating between the duplicate character, making the original a little duller, a little less vibrant. This was a real suprise for me, and it was really good to boot.
Rating: 4.5/5

Cars: The Rookie #2

May 23, 2009

Cars: The Rookie #2 (Boom! Kids)
By Alan J. Porter & Albert Carreres

The origins of racer Lightning McQueen continue as his friend and driver, Mack, takes over the narrative. McQueen arrives at the Piston Cup racing series eager to jump into the fray, but without a sponsor, he’s out of luck. McQueen has his sights set on Dinoco, but they’ve already got a racing car. It looks like McQueen’s only chance may be to lower himself to working for the Rust-eze people. In the Cars movie, we saw McQueen as something of a self-centered jerk who learned what it really meant to have people to care about. We still get that this issue. His attitude towards Rust-eze is very much in keeping with who he is at the beginning of the movie. The end of the issue, however, shows that even this early McQueen wasn’t totally self-absorbed. It’s a nice angle that plays well with McQueen’s eventual transformation. The first two issues of this book have been a lot of fun, and I look forward to the rest.
Rating: 8/10

Monsters, Inc.: Laugh Factory #1

August 22, 2009

Monsters, Inc.: Laugh Factory #1 (Boom! Kids)
By Paul Benjamin & Amy Mebberson

I’ve been really anticipating this comic. Monsters, Inc. is one of my favorite Pixar movies, and has a world of unlimited potential for exploration, so I wanted to see what could be done with them. I’m pretty happy with the results here. Set some time after the end of the movie, Mike has become Monsters, Inc. Number One “Amuser,” while Sully has settled in to an office job running the company. As the office work begins to overwhelm Sully, and he starts neglecting his friends, Mike decides to help by bringing in Boo for a visit. Benjamin‘s characterization of the monsters is spot-on, with even the drastic changes in Sully feeling natural and logical in the course of the story. We even pick up on a few running gags from the movie. Like the Toy Story series, it appears this one will be a series of one-off stories instead of an ongoing storyline, but as long as all four stories are entertaining like this one, that will be just fine.
Rating: 8/10

Uncle Scrooge #401

July 21, 2011

Title: The Universal Solvent

Writer: Don Rosa
Art: Don Rosa
Letterer: David Gerstein
Cover: Don Rosa & Jake Myler
Editor: Christopher Burns
Publisher: Boom! Studios/Boom! Kids

Glory be praised, can it be? A Don Rosa story I’ve never read before? With Gyro Gearloose and a crazy invention and a couple of nods to Carl Barks and page after page of awesometude? It is? It is!

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you “The Universal Solvent.” Gyro Gearloose, the world’s nuttiest inventor, has developed a substance able to dissolve almost any substance known to mean, no matter how impervious. Only its crystallized carbon (in other words, diamond) container is safe from its power. At first, Scrooge is terribly excited about the applications of such a substance until his frustration s with a group of reporters leads him to spill the solvent on the ground. His “instant mine shaft” turns out to be a disaster as Gyro explains that the solvent will eventually eat into the core of the Earth itself, causing geological disasters of an apocalyptic scale. Now it’s up to Scrooge, Donald and the boys to brave the center of the Earth, capture the solvent, and save the world.

This is Rosa at his finest. It’s a grand adventure that takes the ducks to the heights of danger – this time a danger that threatens the entire planet – while still remaining true to the characters. Scrooge’s temper gets them into the mess, but his determination saves the day later on. Huey, Dewey and Louie continue to be brave and resourceful. Donald is… well, Donald is Donald. The artwork is funny, with brilliantly expressive faces on our heroes and plenty of good visual jokes and gags along the way. A surprise appearance by a group of characters that Barks created (and DuckTales fans will find familiar) helps to seal the deal on this issue, making it a true masterwork.

This may be the greatest issue of Uncle Scrooge Boom! released in their too-short tenure which the title, which appears to already have come to an end.

Rating: 10/10

Cars: Adventures of Tow Mater #4

July 21, 2011

Title: Adventures of Tow Mater Part Four

Writer: Keith R.A. Decandidio (from a story by Chuck Wilson)
Art: Travis Hill
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: Deron Bennett
Cover: Allen Gladfelter
Editor: Christopher Meyer         
Publisher: Boom! Studios/Boom! Kids

Tow Mater has gotten himself into trouble, risking the new stadium he built in a demolition derby with his old rival, Bubba. While he struggles in the stadium, Sally tries to prove Red’s innocence in court, where he stands accused of stealing from Sarge. And a most unexpected car may be the one to save the day. This was an interesting series, with Lightning McQueen taking a back seat (no pun intended) for the bulk of it. Mater got the spotlight, but we also got to see characters like Sally and – surprisingly – Chick Hicks stepping forward and doing some interesting things. The Mater/Bubba conflict is pretty amusing as well. Mater is genuinely sweet and good-hearted enough not to really comprehend the depths to which Bubba will sink, but it doesn’t really come across as naivety. It’s more like he truly wants to believe Bubba – and everybody – is basically good at heart, and as such will be forgiving to a fault in the hopes of finding the good in them. Travis Hill gives us decent artwork, although Bubba looks kind of odd. Something about the construction of his face feels slightly off, like he doesn’t entirely fit in the same world as the rest of the characters. It’s a fun book, but it’s a shame it was the swan song of Cars (and, to a larger degree, Pixar itself) at Boom! Studios.

Rating: 7/10

The Incredibles: Family Matters #2

July 10, 2009

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Family Matters Part 2

Mr. Incredible’s powers continue to fade.

Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Marcio Takara
Colors: Andrew Dalhouse
Letters: Jose Macasocol, Jr.
Editor: Paul Morrissey
Cover Art: Marcio Takara
Publisher: Boom! Kids

Last issue Mr. Incredible came to the harsh realization that his powers were fading. This issue, as he and Frozone try to get to the bottom of his power loss, he begins hiding his new secret from his family. Meanwhile, the whole Parr family is growing closer to their new next door neighbors – and nobody moreso than their daughter, Violet.

The wonderful sense of fun that Mark Waid created with the first issue continues this month. Although Bob’s efforts to hide his secret are a little evocative of the plot of the movie, there are enough new twists to make this story feel very fresh. Waid has added some new characters and toys to the Incredibles universe that all work well, fitting and expanding on the existing mythology very nicely.

The trick with these characters really is to find a new kind of story to tell with them that doesn’t come across as derivative of the movie or the thousands of superheroes that inspired the Incredibles in the first place. Sure, we’ve seen the superhero losing his powers before. Sure, we’ve seen the superhero keeping secrets from his family. But the chemistry here, the combining of those elements with these characters, makes it seem like something totally new. Plus, the subplot with the neighbors continues to tug at you, making you wonder just what’s up with them. Maybe it’s just paranoia from years of reading comics, but it’s almost impossible to believe there isn’t more to them than meets the eye.

Takara’s artwork is fantastic. He’s got a look that works perfectly with the animated model, and Andrew Dalhouse’s colors compliment the line art very well. It’s a wonderful package and adds to a very entertaining line of comics.

Rating: 8/10