Bumperboy Loses His Marbles! is an all-ages delight, a mixture of videogame logic, kid show conventions and the gentle but effective humor of Peanuts and other classic comic strips. As the title suggests, the story centers around Bumperboy losing his marbles (literally, not figuratively) on the eve of the big marbles tournament. The marbles disappear down a "borp hole" into another dimension, and Bumperboy, along with his Bumperpup, must go in search of the marbles in time to participate in the big tournament with his friends and some of his rivals. If the description didn't clue you in, let me be clear: Bumperboy is relentlessly cute, not unlike Andy Runton's all-ages triumph Owly. It's also more than a little silly, and it's pretty easygoing, as the conflicts center more around lost toys and mean kids than anything truly dire or life-threatening. Bumperboy Loses His Marbles! is a comic that you can easily read with your kids, but if you're not careful, you'll probably find yourself coming back to the charming simplicity of the storytelling and the artwork when the kids are already in bed asleep.
As my daughter grows older, I've become very familiar with childrens' shows like Blue's Clues, Maisy and Dora The Explorer. Bumperboy has a lot of resemblance to these shows, in that there's a certain logic to the world that is easy to pick up on but is kind of bizarre if you sit back and think of it from an adult's point of view. Bumperboy and his friends are obviously kids with kids concerns, but they get the adult trappings of their own homes with independence from their parents, and their world revolves around kid problems, like games and toys, rather than even the real concerns that real kids have to deal with. It's a very accessible and fun reality for kids, and its a framework that can be used to teach universal lessons about sharing, being kind to others and other concepts key to young minds.
Which is not to say that Bumperboy is only written on a kids' level, just that it is something most of them will easily key into. For one thing, Bumperboy doesn't have the characters breaking the fourth wall to talk to the audience as kids' shows often do, and for another, the actual narrative is much stronger and less predictable than your average kids' show. The marbles showdown is done very well, a great translation of sports movie cliche into an unusual sport, and Huey wisely sets up a number of competitors as possible victors without ruining any of the dramatic payoff possibilities if some of them should lose. The storytelling on the marbles tournament is probably my favorite part of the book, as Huey captures the spirit of competition, the parallel competitions and the joy of winning in an economical and fun format.
Which brings me to Huey's artwork in general, and what can I say other than I like it a lot. It's a simple format, with easily recognizable characters made up of relatively few shapes, but like the best of these "simple" styles, it rests on a foundation of solid storytelling and little bits of flair where needed. Bumperboy's expressions of joy or despair are always very evocative, and little details in the background of the tournament, like the "Squirrelz Represent" sign, help to convey a touch of grown-up humor in amidst a very all-ages book.
Bumperboy is unapologetically aimed at a younger audience, and those looking for complex plotting and deep characterization will probably be best suited looking elsewhere. However, those who are in the market for a comic that is fun and accessible for those of any age will definitely want to give this book a look.
