Imagine The Last Starfighter mixed with The Iron Giant, Spy Kids and a dash of Shogun Warriors, and you've got a pretty good idea of the basics of Jason and The Argobots, the latest brainstorm from J. Torres. This issue is largely introductory, and it rolls out a little slowly, but that's because time is given to the sense of wonder and discovery that comes from Jason's first meeting with the (presumably) titular Argobot. The sense of wonder is enhanced considerably by artwork from Waiting Place alum Mike Norton, whose work here more closely resembles former Torres collaborator Tim Levins than anything else, albeit with a slightly bigger and more science-fiction approach. The book is off to a slow but promising start, and anybody who loves giant robots (and really, who doesn't?) ought to check it out.
There's plenty left beneath the surface of the story, but Torres teases the reader with tidbits of information about the setting and the main characters. While not giving everything away, this issue reveals a brother and sister and the source of some of their rivalries, a slightly distracted but clearly brilliant grandfather and parents who seem to have had some fairly impressive skills as well. We don't yet know where the parents are or exactly what they did, nor do we really know the importance of other background details like the earthquakes or super-villains, but we know enough to get the story.
A lot of this issue is spent on two things: Establishing Juni and Jason as likable and well-realized characters and conveying just how cool it is to find your own giant robot. Mission accomplished on both fronts, as it's not easy to take sides with Juni or Jason yet, given that both seem to have their flaws (tattle-tale and a little too free spirited, respectively) but both also have a likable personality, and the Argobot is undeniably cool. Norton and Torres pace the revelation about the robot slowly, showing only glimpses while cutting back to Juni's story or forward to the trouble in the city, so that when we first see the robot, it's something of a revelation.
I'm not usually one to complain about black and white comics, but I really wish this book could have been in color. Though the story is perfectly clear and attractive in black and white, maybe even helped by the detail that the monochrome approach brings to the work, I can't help thinking how cool the Argobot or Jason's scooter or the city or the lab might look in color. Norton really brings home the scale and power of the Argobot, forgoing a lot of complicated circuitry for a more simple and effective look.
Combining kid's wish fulfillment with nifty technology and some super-hero genre elements, Jason and The Argobots looks like it could be a lot of fun. It's a read that will resonate with kids and with those who still remember what it was like to be a kid, when it seemed possible that over every mountain there was a spaceship or a robot just waiting to take you away from all of this and drag you into a more exciting, more interesting world.
