August 6, 2007
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(Arcana Comics)
The unusual thing about this preview issue is how gaudy the cover is compared to the lush, vibrant, animated visuals inside. The cover, with it’s rather bland logo and the cheap (but effective) “25 cents” explosion balloon, does the book no justice. But go ahead and spend that quarter anyway. There really isn’t a better deal on a comic book stand or gumball machine or candy store out there right now. While this “zero” issue is only fifteen pages that barely even introduce a story, one can’t help but immediately get sucked into this world of wonder, of towers made of big cogs and mushroom-like mountaintop villages, a scientist that is desperate in his need to create and a carnival owner whose beastly son is one more disparaging comment away from rebelling. That co-creator Kevin Hanna is an art director at Disney comes as no surprise after reading the scant few pages provided here. Fleshed out with co-writer Sean O’Reilly, the story-so-far seems right up that classic Disney creative alley (in fact seems even more in line with the more creative imaginings of Pixar). Artist Grant Bond may have churned out an unseemly cover, but the interiors are exquisite, with each panel looking like a film quality animation still-frame, but the flow quite expertly comics. With the first issue proper appearing in September, the title is already poised to be one of the must-have kids comics of the year.
5 out of 5 vikings
We found a great deal at Childrens Book Club and got 5 childrens books for only $2.