Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Comics Review from Free Comic Book Day

BUZZBOY/ROBOY RED/MAJOR DAMAGE TRIPLE-FROSTED FUN COMICS! From Sky-Dog Press. (This was another Free Comics Day promotional item.) This is a nice introduction to three distinct all-ages books which would appeal to a wide range of comics’ fans.

BUZZBOY by John Gallagher has been around for a while and I have several issues in my collection. Once a side-kick Buzzboy is now grown and aided by one-time villain & mad scientist Doc Cyber. Using his buzzbelt to give him super-human powers BB fights an odd assortment of wacky villains in light hearted spoofs of the usual superhero fare. In this stand-along story deals with a bit of time displacement and Buzzboy meeting his younger counterpart from another dimension. Recommended.

MAJOR DAMAGE was created by Chris Baily for a short-lived Image imprint. This is a kid’s fantasy gone wrong. Melvin Grimes dreamed of growing up to be his favorite comic book hero. Unfortunately, when he is abducted by aliens (and don’t you hate when that happens?) they use their advanced technology to grant his with. He’s now an 8-yr old kid trapped in a super-powered adult body, trying to convince his Mom that he really is her son, while fighting an assortment of villains who think that this is Major Damage. This whole thing is certainly not as much fun as Melvin thought it would be!

Finally, ROBOY RED, works with a boy robot created by a corporation (with a nod to Walt Disney and the Disney company) to make children’s film. When it becomes apparent that some folks in the corporation have more sinister ideas in mind the robot’s creator, Tuck and the mysterious Dara Dare (aka Jet Girl) make off with Roboy to protect him. This seven page story vies us the history and background of the Roboy Red character and then a few pages of Halloween mischief. Rich Faber and John Gallagher give the reader enough information and a sense of where they want to go with their creations.

Overall this freebie allows fans a taste of three books they may have not discovered previously. You should know enough when you’ve finished to decide whether or not you want more. The creators also present pages on how to draw the characters and other fun stuff. A very nice job by all involved.

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