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MUTANT, TEXAS: TALES OF SHERIFF IDA RED #2
Recommended (8/10)
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Oni Press
Writer: Paul Dini
Artist/Letters: J. Bone
Editor: Jamie S. Rich
Price: $2.95 US/$4.50 CAN |
Is Mutant, Texas an all-ages book? I don't know. It certainly seems to be aimed at a younger crowd, but I have to admit that I find it to be a lot of fun as well. And I've been described as rather "persnitckety" and "cantankerous" lately. Sure, the latter description is my own, but I think it fits. I guess that means Mutant's appeal even to a cynic and crank like myself speaks to the strength of its inherent innocence and sense of fun.
Ida Red has finally tapped into the powers she exhibited only once before as a baby, and she soon discovers there's much more to them than her powerful "zappy-bolts." She can fly and even transmute the molecular makeup of inanimate objects. Meanwhile, the coyotes gather up some more Mutant, Texas "townspeople" for the Colonel's freak show, and the masterminds behind what is essentially a slavery ring stand revealed.
Bone's light style and eye for design continues to serve this property well. Animation influences are clear in his work -- I see some Bruce Timm elements at play, as well as some Disney style -- as is the impact of Walt (Pogo) Kelly on Bone's artwork. Bone's thick lines converge nicely to give the characters a great deal of personality, and his simple style also brings out the energy exhibited by the title character.
Though the last two words of the series title point to the spunky redhead heroine as the star of the story, it's the first two words -- Mutant, Texas -- that really indicate the appeal of the book. Dini is telling the story about a town, not just a metahuman sheriff. The cast of characters is large, but the book never seems crowded. There is an abundance of one particular element, though: personality. The supporting players are just as much fun and just as well developed as Ida Red. Mutant is an endearing town, and I hope that after this three-issue limited series comes to a close, it won't be long before Dini takes us back for another visit.
It occurs to me that this book seems to defy genre. Is it a super-hero title? Well, it boasts super-hero elements, sure, but it seems like something else. It is a young girls' adventure book? Again, it boasts some of those elements. Is it a Western? A cute-animal cartoon? A tale of the supernatural? Sci-fi? Dini has developed a property that incorporates multiple genres, and therefore, taps into the appeal of all of them to create something fresh, new and fun.
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