Brobots and the Kaiju Kerfuffle!

Brobots and the Kaiju Kerfuffle is a bright and colorful book aimed at an audience of younger readers who like robots and monsters. As an older reader who likes robots and monsters I was intrigued to see what this book was like. I found it pretty enjoyable, if a bit slight, because the book ended so quickly. But maybe that is a good thing because it left me wanting more. And I hope there will be more volumes forthcoming. I mean if they gave it a #1 on the cover, they must have more in store, yes?

The story specifics here follow a trio of brother robots on a fishing trip. One of them uses radioactive bait, with disastrous results. Just see:

The rest of the book features their adventures as they battle and learn to deal with this creature. Also, the plot has a couple of surprising twists that elevate the proceedings above a typical smash-'em-up fight book. Plus, there are lots of corny jokes that I am sure that younger readers would enjoy. I know I love a good corny joke myself, and this book tickled me a few times.

This book is a collaboration between writer J. Torres and artist Sean Dove. Torres is a veteran comics writer who is known for his work on Teen Titans Go! as well as his own series The Mighty Zodiac and Power Lunch. I also really enjoyed his work on the Jinx books from Archie Comics. Dove is a successful artist, illustrator, and art director who has done lots of high profile work in comics and commercial art over the years. Torres speaks more about his work on this book in this interview.

I had a tough time finding any reviews of this book, but the one I did find was positive: Alyssa Vaughn summed up by stating, "Brobots is adorable, and it’ll definitely be in the stack of comics I give my nephew for his birthday."

Brobots was published by Oni Press, and they have more info about the book here. Comic Book Resources provided a preview here.

Power Lunch: First Course

Power Lunch: First Course is an interesting take on superheroes for younger readers. It stars a boy named Joey who is the new kid in school and looks a little bit like Clark Kent. He as strange dietary restrictions, and is only allowed to eat foods that are white. He meets and befriends Jerome, who used to be the new, weird kid and looks a little like Jimmy Olsen. He is bullied by a taller boy named Bug, and one of the main plots of the book is about how the duo deal with him.

 

The plot twists when Joey eats some trail mix (which is not white) and manifests superpowers. It turns out that whenever he eats other foods, he gains different sets of powers. These powers comes in handy when dealing with a bully, but they also might give him a leg up when he tries out for the soccer team (see what I did there? HA!). That last bit raises an ethical quandary about using his abilities, which will get taken up in the second book, aptly named Seconds.

For the most part, I found this book pretty enjoyable. The artwork is clear and bright, and I feel that the story is pitched well to children without being condescending. Its depictions of bullying seemed realistic and upsetting, which is appropriate. But there was one aspect that also bothered me about the ending. It seemed abrupt to me and also troubled me because Joey decides to use his powers to scare the bully into behaving. I know that the message may be to take up for yourself and also to stand by your friends, but I also was left with the impression that Joey is sort of a bully himself with how he handled the situation. Maybe this point also gets addressed in the sequel, but I felt it was a strange way to end things here.

This book is a collaboration between writer J. Torres and artist Dean Trippe. Torres has written a number of comics aimed at younger audiences, including the Jinx series and Alison Dare stories, as well as the autobiographical The Copybook Tales, and a number of titles for the big two comic book companies. Trippe is known for his webcomic Butterfly, his work with the website Project: Rooftop, and his autobiographical comic about dealing with sexual abuse Something Terrible.

The reviews I read about this book pointed to its positive qualities but also brought up some reservations. Jamais Jochim praised the art and pacing but also wrote, "This is a young man learning to use his abilities in at least marginally selfish ways, and it feels just a little off," but added, "This is a good start to a series; here’s hoping it gets better." Eric enjoyed the plot and artwork and also commented that the book had "a great approach to the real issue of bullies that embraces a non-violent, but assertive response." Stephen Theaker offer these thoughts, "Older kids may find the lack of substance underwhelming; younger children might be upset by the bullying scenes. To get a kid’s-eye view, I asked my daughters to take a look, but it failed their first test: 'Is there a girl in it?'”

Power Lunch is published by Oni Press. Comic Book Resources offers a preview here. 

Jinx: Little Miss Steps

Little Miss Steps is the second volume of Jinx, which is a young adult update of Li'l Jinx, a classic Archie back-up character. I loved the first volume, and this one is a worthwhile follow-up. The plot revolves around three major points: Jinx is having a tough time with her mother, there are baseball/softball tryouts, and there is a big dance coming up. Jinx hardly seems to see her mom, who is divorced from her father, because she works so much, and this absence is wearing on her. Part of the reason why is that her mom has a  huge issue to talk about with her, and (SPOILER COMING) she does not know exactly how to broach the issue that she is a lesbian with her daughter. I appreciated how well, sensitively, and realistically this whole conversation played out in the course of the book. Not everyone was OK with the situation, and they, the children and the adults, have multiple reactions. There were no pat answers, and in the end I liked how the various characters reacted to each other.

The other two issues in the plot are more minor, for sure, and act as YA subplots dealing with sexism, school politics, and young romance. The Jinx-Charlie-Greg triangle is still going strong, and it is refreshing to see young people who obviously care about each other but do not know exactly how to take each other interact. They make mistakes, are frequently clumsy, and seem like genuinely good people. Plus, there are lots of humorous situations along the way that make the story enjoyable.

This book was created by the same team as book one. Writer J. Torres has created various wonderful comics in the past, including the autobiographical The Copybook Tales, adventure stories starring Alison Dare, and other comics for the big two comics companies. Eisner Award-winning artist Rick Burchett is known for his work on Batman and Superman Adventures. Inker Terry Austin has worked with almost every major artist at every big company and is probably best known for his run on Uncanny X-Men. Their artistic collaboration is expert, accomplished, and it suits the tenor and tone of the story well.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been complimentary. John Hogan wrote, "Everything plays out in a realistic manner without ever condescending to the reader, and Torres deserves credit for never missing a beat with the humor and levity that define these stories." Win Wiacek offered this praise, "Compellingly funny, gently heart-warming and deftly understated, this is book that will certainly resonate with kids and parents, offering genuine human interactions rather than manufactured atom-powered fistfights to hold your attention." Brian Cronin summed up his review, "It’s a great comic work and I hope Archie keeps making ‘em." Sadly, I have to say they have not yet offered another follow-up.

 Jinx: Little Miss Steps was published by Archie. Comic Book Resources offers a preview here.

Jinx

Like I wrote in the intro to Catching Up With Archie Week, Archie Comics have not always focused on Archie. This volume is about characters that used to appear in short strips that ran from the late 1940s to the late 1970s. L'il Jinx was about a rough and tumble little girl and her friends. She frequently ran afoul of Charley, who was her friend and occasional bully, and played with next door neighbors Greg and Russ, her best friend Roz, and rich girl Gigi. The stories also featured her long-suffering dad, and the characters looked like this:

Although I am not old enough to have read these original stories, they appeared frequently in the many digest reprints I read growing up, and I developed a fond regard for this series.

I was curious to see how these characters translated into a more grown up, YA-type environment, and part of me feared the clumsy attempts to update such characters before (exhibit A). I was very pleasantly surprised by this book, and I daresay it is the best thing I have read from Archie this entire week. The story and characters are vibrant and engaging, and the story is fresh, relevant, and enjoyable.

The plot finds these characters starting high school, and there are some major adjustments to be made. Jinx struggles to reconcile her tomboyishness with the behavioral expectations of other high school girls. Additionally, she has a hard time leaving the past in the past.

Jinx and Charley: Round 1

She also has to deal with perhaps having feelings for nice guy Greg as well as a secret admirer who sends her flowers.

There are also various struggles over school politics, popularity, miscommunications, and bullying. Helping matters along, the characters' personalities are projected in simple yet complicated ways, and they are very human, fallible, and mostly endearing. This book could have been very easily akin to a bad sitcom playing for laughs or a boring service announcement presenting issues in a didactic manner, but it became something else. I found it to be very reflective of high school experiences, and I loved how the dynamics between the original characters were updated and enlivened.  Still, I do not think anyone would have to be familiar with their history to appreciate how the story unfolds.

All in all, these situations are realistic and well presented, and it seems obvious to me that this creative team has a real love for these characters as well as great storytelling sensibilities. Writer J. Torres has created various wonderful comics in the past, including the autobiographical The Copybook Tales, adventure stories starring Alison Dare, and other comics for the big two comics companies. Eisner Award-winning artist Rick Burchett is known for his crisp, clean lines and his work on Batman and Superman Adventures. Inker Terry Austin is comic book royalty who has worked with almost every major artist at every big company and is probably best known for his run on Uncanny X-Men. None of them are Archie house artists, but their collaboration is expert and accomplished.

Jinx works well capturing the feelings of unease, anxiety, joy, anticipation, and confusion that can arise in high school. I loved so much about it: the art, the characters, their relationship dynamics, and how the situations played themselves out. This book is an absolute gem.