One for the Kids

It’s more common than you might think that I hear nerds complaining about the difficulty of finding comics that are appropriate for their small children. We grew up in an age where all comics were all ages.  Now the “normal” comics are so often dour and barely appropriate for adults.  No one wants their children to see images of mutilation and death.  So I was excited about the opportunity to check out a couple of contemporary all ages titles.

Art Baltazar & Franco “Itty Bitty Hellboy” (Dark Horse Comics, 2014)

Baltazar & Franco’s Itty Bitty Hellboy brings the style of Tiny Titans to the Mike Mignola’s Hellboy universe.  The major players from Hellboy are all here, represented in a bright, fun post-Peanuts world of children.  While there is certainly plenty of broad jokes (a la Peanuts), the majority of this story is really for fans of the “normal” Hellboy comics.  This is certainly not inappropriate for kids, but works best for adults who are familiar with the original material.

 

Troy Little “Powerpuff Girls Vol 1”(IDW, 2014)

 

Troy Little’s Powerpuff Girls, however, is a more straightforward adaptation of the successful cartoon series.  If you ever got to see the series, then you know what to expect here.  A trio of tiny girls with superpowers protect Townsville from Mojo Jojo.  The art is colorful and dynamic with story lines appropriate for small children yet still fun for those of us who are longer in the tooth.  This is a great contemporary all ages book that I would recommend for any home.

Spoiler: Sherlock's Not Dead!

Sylvain Cordurie & Laci “Sherlock Holmes and the Vampires of London” (Dark Horse Comics, 2014)

Is it just me or is a rush to mention Moriarty a sign of a bad to mediocre Sherlock Holmes story?

Our story here begins after Sherlock’s “death” at Reichenbach Falls.  Apparently he’s staged his death so that he can vacation.  Unfortunately, he gets a call from work and his vacation is cut short.  Watson & his wife are used as leverage to get Sherlock to investigate a case.  There’s a vampire killing members of the English royal family and the Vampire Lord of London needs Sherlock to catch him.  At this point I feel like I should note that apparently the World’s Greatest Detective (it’s true, Batman, get over it!) has never noticed these vampires while actually living in London.  And apparently Sherlock is the only person who can catch this rogue vampire, even though the vampires all have super strength, speed,etc..

So the premise of this whole thing is absurd.  But of course that was fairly obvious from the title alone, right?  And just because it’s absurd doesn’t mean that it can’t be a barrel of fun.  Ultimately Sherlock Holmes and the Vampires of London fails because of characterization.  Sherlock is just not believable as the World’s Greatest Detective.  He’s good, but not great.  And the Vampire Lord is generic without chewing enough scenery.  If you’re going to just insert a trope, you have to make it interesting.  Give me a crazier more evil Vampire Lord!

Ultimately I’m not sure who the target audience for this actually is.  Perhaps a steampunk fan who isn’t very familiar with the Holmes mythos? 

In A Galaxy Far Far Away

Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman “Star Wars Legacy II Book I: Prisoner of the Floating World”  (Dark Horse Comics, 2013)

When I think back on what I originally loved about Star Wars, it’s all fairly simple:  rip roaring adventure, archetypical characters, cool effects.  What’s so difficult about that?  There’s no need for trade negotiations, adolescent love stories or overly convoluted explanations.

That’s what I love about this comic.  It’s a big ole adventure yarn set in the future of the movies.  A Jedi is ambushed by a Sith and taken prisoner.  A young junk dealer finds a lightsaber.  These are jumping off points for action adventure stories.  

Do you need to know any convoluted EU storylines to appreciate the story?  No.  I’m not a fan of the EU myself, & I enjoyed the hell out of this graphic novel.  Now I’m itching to read more in this universe.