Two-in-One Review: The Lab Randy and Don take a look at The Lab, a 3-D animated cartoon in comic-book form. Randy: You know, I think Scott Christian Sava may be onto something. Not just with the idea of using 3D animation for comics, which is a nifty little idea that works out well for The Lab and should be quite interesting in the upcoming Spider-Man: Quality of Life. No, I'm talking about the actual concept, which has the feel of classic Warner Brothers cartoons. Don: You're not kidding about the Looney Tunes riff at play in this full-color book, from the same small-press publishing house responsible for Herobear and the Kid. This was a light, fun read, and we're thankful to Sava for sending along review copies. The Lab #1 published by Astonish Comics written and illustrated by Scott Christian Sava Randy: It's clear from reading this book that Sava has a lot of appreciation for cartoons. The characters, cartoonish animals with funny accents, are straight out of animation, as are the sight gags and indeed the entire premise. A story set inside an experimental lab, with quite unusual products, is a formula for funny gags and wacky situations, and it's not unlike when Bugs Bunny would wind up living next to an opera singer or inside a millionaire's mansion. Don: Livingston is one of the company's top product testers, but the boss says it's time for him to finally take a vacation after 15 years. But before he can do that, he must train his temporary replacement -- Esteban, an intern from accounting. Esteban may be an idiot, but a freak physical trait makes him a real asset to the product-testing department. Randy: Sava has two delightful lead characters in Esteban and Livingston. I have to confess to being more drawn to Esteban, because despite his low intellect, he seems like the more down-to-earth of the two. He also has an accent that makes his voice come alive in my head, and since he's the new guy, he gets to serve as the reader's view into what goes on at the Lab. There's a great chemistry between the two characters, though, the classic odd-couple syndrome at work. Don: There are a lot of laughs to be had here, the best of which are to be found in Esteban's moments of deadpan ire. Unlike other humor books, though -- like, say, Herobear -- there's no further depth beyond the gags. This is yuks for the sake of yuks, which is just fine. It's a little bit beyond young kids, though, but it's hardly mature in tone either. Randy: While truly funny comics are few and far between, though, what really sets this book apart is the artwork. Computer-generated art has a bit of a bad rap in comics, and it's not suited to everything, but The Lab is ideally suited for Sava's 3D style. The story flows very smoothly, and despite the generally simple expressions available on both characters, their movements and reactions have a lot of expressiveness to them. In addition, there's a surprising strength to the slapstick comedy, which includes such classic gags as the anvil dropped on the head or one of the characters being shrunk unexpectedly. And I'm especially impressed that the book is in full-color. Don: The computer-generated artwork is impressive at several points, but at others, it comes off as a little stiff, I think. The afore-mentioned anvil gag didn't work as well as it could have, I believe, because Sava goes overboard with the computer effects. This would have been a case when less would have been more. The CG art is rife with an impressive level of detail, but there are moments in the book when less background detail would have helped to focus attention on what's happening in the foreground. Randy: The Lab is a whole lot of fun, and an ideal comic to give to younger readers who enjoy cartoons and older readers who remember the classic cartoons fondly. It's also an impressive look at what computer animation has to offer comics, and has me quite interested in seeing Sava's work on Spider-Man: Quality of Life. For more information about The Lab, visit www.bluedreamstudios.com/. Email Randy and Don comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.