HEROBEAR AND THE KID #4
"Discovery"
Recommended (8/10)
|
Astonish Comics
Writer/Artist: Mike Kunkel
Price: $3.50 US |
It's slow-going with Herobear and the Kid. The series made a splash with its debut at the 1999 Comic-Con International at San Diego, and here it is two and a half years later, and we're only on the fourth issue. Fortunately, the imagination, humor and magic of the book hasn't faded. Kunkel brings new readers and regular ones alike up to speed in another delightful immersion in innocence.
After his adventure with Herobear and the evil robot X-5, Tyler returns to school wondering if anyone will have recognized him. While Herobear and the mysterious "Kid" are the talk of the school, Tyler isn't, much to his relief. Back home, he and Herobear discover something... odd about their new home, as well as the fact that someone in the house knows more about what's going on with Herobear that they thought.
Kunkel's irreverent but sketchy style continues to stand out as unlike anything else that we see in comics. The unfinished quality of his style works surprisingly well. It's as though he invites the reader into the creative process while nevertheless telling an enveloping story. The exaggerated detail in his work is impressive, and I still haven't tired of the flash of the one color element: Herobear's cape.
The first page boasts a Wonder Years quality, in which we hear the lead character, Tyler, reflect back on his childhood, and the more introspective tone just isn't in keeping with the overall mood of the book. Fortunately, it's a fleeting scene. Tyler's misadventures at school always entertain. His crush on Vanessa is sweet, bringing a smile to my face. And his encounters with the bullies make for some nice laughs.
My favorite aspect of the book is Tyler's imagination. His morning antics in his bedroom -- imagining himself as a monster with a bunch of weird pals -- is just the sort of daydreaming thing I used to get into as a kid. Another reason I think I'm drawn to Tyler as a character is that even though he's a kid and he bumbles about a lot, he's smart. His imagination stems from intelligence as well as innocence, and he seems to understand the world in which he exists.
Email Don MacPherson comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.
|
