Friday, February 10, 2012

COMIC: Top of the Stack - Adventure Time #1 (Review)

Writer: Ryan North & Aaron Renier
Artist: Shelli Paroline & Aaron Renier
Cover: Shelli Paroline

Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Price: $3.99

Now that I am entering the second month of being back to reviewing comic books, the wave of returning titles and familiar characters bring a level of comfort reading issues but it thrills me that for the sixth week of 2012 it is a sixth different book to find its way to the top of my stack.

BOOM! Studios is not a stranger to being a part of my comic pick but this time around a newcomer title came along with it in ADVENTURE TIME #1. From their KABOOM! line, the comic book is based off the hit animated series on Cartoon Network.

An interesting choice for writer of the title is Ryan North, who is probably best known for being the creator of the webcomic, DINOSAUR COMICS. Given the sometimes bizarre stories Adventure Time can devolve into it might be the perfect choice after reading the first issue and finding an almost seamless feeling for the characters and the world in the comic book compared to the one I have watched on TV.

In the issue, Finn and Jake between exchanging battle burns take on the Lich, who is determined to destroy everything on the planet using the bag of holding he escaped from. Throw in a Jake Suit appearance, a beheading, and meeting a princess (a desert one, not dessert) and quickly the main story of the issue pretty much had everything you could expect from an episode of the show.

Sometimes it is the little things and the attention to detail that really throw a scene over the top. When the Lich takes on the Ice King, the Ice King was in the middle of writing fan fiction of 'Fiona & Cake Meets Finn & Jake' that is just so zany insane funny to include that I loved it.

The art by Shelli Paroline is fantastic, easily capturing and recreating the spirit of the animated series within the pages of the comic book. All of the characters mirror the show and the expressions of Finn's angry face and Jake's flexibility bring that sense of familiarity any fan of the show would have with the characters and their personalities.

A quick note on the back story written and illustrated by Aaron Renier - it brings it just as well as the main story and the ability of a short against a longer story that is continuing next issue is that the punch line gets to be included, which increases the amount of funny for the book. Involving Princess Bubblegum, Tree Trunks and Cinnamon Bun's birthday party, the story takes an unexpected turn that you would only expect to happen in the world of Adventure Time.

If continuing issues follow the trend of this first issue then I have no doubt that ADVENTURE TIME will be just as good in quality as the show it was born from. Any fan of fun should like the book, and definitely fans of the show or all-ages titles would be smart to pick it up and give it a read and prepare to laugh. I cannot wait to see what will happen next time.

Look to buy the ADVENTURE TIME #1 digital comic on Comixology for $3.99 or Graphicly for $1.99

No comments:

Post a Comment