Olympus Heights is what we call down here in Texas "a whole mess 'a fun." Mythological creatures, nifty gadgets, romance and a goofy, geeky lead character come together into a comic that reads like a "buddy movie" in the making set against the backdrop of the horror/fantasy genre in a modern-day setting. Like El Zombo, Munroe's first effort in comics, Olympus Heights puts a bunch of elements into a blender and hits frappe, but unlike El Zombo, this one grabbed my attention with the very first issue. A light touch and a very funny sense of humor, not to mention some really nifty visuals set against a backdrop of animator-turned-comic-artist style artwork results in a book that just kept me flipping pages, and then had me anxiously awaiting the next issue to see what happens next.
When the movie Van Helsing first started running trailers, I wanted to see it. I expected it to be cheesy, but the whole concept, plus the visual of a hunter equipped with cool monster-hunting gear and a pulp-ish trenchoat/fedora, seemed like fun to me. Shame that the movie, by all accounts, couldn't deliver on that promise, but those who liked the concept but not the execution might find a lot to like in Olympus Heights. Munroe opens with a horror movie cliche, the guy trying to get into the girls' pants, totally unaware that a monster is lurking in the woods, but he gives it a twist in that there's someone else watching, someone who is hunting the creature just as it hunts its prey. It became clear after that prologue sequence that what I was looking at was the notion of Van Helsing's concept, a weary monster hunter, brought to life in a more fun, and more coherent way than Hollywood can generally pull off.
However, Olympus Heights doesn't focus on the monster-hunter character, instead our lead is the assistant manager of a museum named Oliver Dobbs, a guy who lives with his mother and seems like the geek hero archetype, funny and likable but maybe a tad on the wimpy side and definitely lacking in confidence. Even here, Munroe avoids cliche, because Dobbs might get a little tongue-tied in confronting the girl of the piece, or be unable to stand up to his boss, but his likable, generally social attitude is an unusual fit for this persona, and he definitely comes across as an everyman instead of the wimp or annoying dweeb that these types of characters can be. Since he is one of the narrators, it's also worth noting that Munroe gives him a sarcastic and funny sense of humor that comes through especially loud in his inner thoughts, and his narration is a big part of the lighter touch of the book.
While much of what I loved about Olympus Heights was the slice-of-life moments and astute observations, like the notion of having a frustrating boss or the feeling you get when you meet someone you really like, what makes the book stand out is the monster hunting aspect of it, and that is where Munroe's art really shines as well. His art style is best described to comics fans as the kind of thing that would be right at home with Astonish Comics, what seems to be a common style from animators making the transition to comics, with an exaggerated style that is exceptional at rubber-faced humor and slapstick. It's a strangely flexible style, perfect for conveying Oliver's normal life as well as the huge monsters that are the prey of "Mr. Smith" or indeed the form of "Mr. Smith" himself. There are a couple really fun action sequences, showing off Smith's gadgets, that really pop off the page.
Aside from an opening scene that references teen sex (in a way that'll go over most kids' heads), Olympus Heights is an all-ages book, but it's certainly not just for the kiddy set. There's an infectious sense of fun in these pages, some pretty subtle storytelling even in the midst of a style that gets its points across pretty clearly and plenty of hints about where the story is going from here. Those who are used to IDW being the guys to go to for dark horror and mainstream TV tie-ins might be surprised to see them publishing Olympus Heights, which is more a pure fun adventure/comedy book.
