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THE RETURN OF ALISON DARE, LITTLE MISS ADVENTURES #3
Recommended (8/10)
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Oni Press
Writer: J. Torres
Artist: J. Bone
Editor: James Lucas Jones
Price: $2.95 US/$4.50 CAN |
I never quite warmed up to this mini-series the way I did to the one-shot that introduced the characters, but with this final issue Torres and Bone have captured my imagination once again. A dead-on homage to Raiders of the Lost Ark starts off the story on a rollicking note, and keeps it going
through the now-familiar tropes of Alison's bravado, "Uncle Johnny" and his
clever disguises, the difficulties of parenting when you're a globe-trotting
adventurer and a super-hero and just how cool Alison's friends think this whole
thing is. Each issue of this mini-series has been pretty much standalone,
examining a different aspect of Alison's life, and I'd have to say that this
one, which gives every member of the cast a moment to shine, is probably my
favorite.
The opening sequence is very cinematic, some exceptional work by Bone and Torres. They perfectly captured the feel of Dare running toward her plane, away from angry natives, and also perfectly echoed that unforgettable opening from Raiders of the Lost Ark. That includes the dialogue, which is a tip of the hat to
Indy's nemesis Belloq, although J. uses some clever misdirection to make us
think that Baron Von Baron is getting away with something especially precious.
In this issue, the plot is
fairly simple, a bit of revenge and theft that interferes with a semi-planned
day out for Alison and her parents. However, what keeps it interesting even
before the action starts are the little tidbits of character and scenery.
Another cameo spot by Uncle Johnny makes for a few cute moments, and seeing
Alison's mom and dad arguing about time and parenting made for a nice human
moment amidst the swashbuckling lifestyles that we've seen them defined by.
Visually, Bone has done a
terrific job on this book. The family resemblance between Alison and her mom is
striking, but it's easy to tell the two apart. Her father is a perfect rendition
of the square-jawed hero, Baron Von Baron the archetypal mad Nazi villain and
Johnny (when we finally see him) the utter picture of a suave secret agent.
Torres is writing in something of broad archetypes, and Bone's art style works
to capture those characters in the same way.
In the end, the story reminds
us that for all the adventure, the heart of this concept is about family,
however strange and exotic they might be. The moral lesson, about family
togetherness, is hammered home more subtly in this issue than the lessons in the
past two issues, and it makes for an effective visual to close the mini-series.
Oni Press is not known for it's kid-friendly comics, for the most part. But then, director Robert Rodriguez wasn't known for his work on kid movies either, and he turned out the hit movie Spy Kids. I would think that anyone who enjoyed that work would also enjoy Alison Dare, and perhaps the
lesson is that you have to know how to entertain adults before you can know how
to entertain kids well.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
