Last year the BOOM! Studios mini-comic released for the Halloween Comicfest was hands
down the best freebie release. So when it was announced a couple of months ago that
BOOM! was doing another mini for 2015, I was very excited. Well parents, if your child is as
thrilled as I was, I'm here to tell you that they are in for some major disappointments. Let's
look at the three stories that comprise this volume.
First up is Adventure Time with Jake and Finn. Last year, the tale that starred them was
the weakest of the three (Peanuts and Fraggle Rock made up the other two licensed stories)
The 2014 Adventure Time short story didn't even feature any of the characters (at least, the
ones I know of), so I didn't enjoy it so much. This year's yarn features everyone and was very
clever.
When the good guys have a costume party, the Ice King feels left out. Going as himself
because none of the heroes would dare to dress up as the rogue, the Ice King puts on a
dazzling show, going so far as to win the costume contest. But how will Jake, the Princess,
and the rest react when its revealed that the guy dressed as their archenemy is, in fact, their
most dreaded foe?
The second caper is based on the Cartoon Network show Steven Universe. Now I am not
very familiar with this property, except for what little I have seen on commercials when
watching other CN shows. Here a chameleon-like character named Amethyst, who is freeing
all of the animals from the local pet shop. This act seemingly isn't something that Amethyst
should be doing as Steven is appalled by it. Why after freeing the prospective pets that
Amethyst keeps changing into other animals in hopes of becoming their friend is beyond
my knowledge of this Cartoon. Also, the story has a sad ending, which was a major downer.
Lastly is a campfire story starring the Lumberjanes. This is my first ever encounter with
this original comic series by BOOM! The series is about a group of campers at an all-girls
camp. The woods that house the camp are haunted and in typical mystery series fashion,
these ladies try to uncover weird activities that surround Lumberjanes Camp. All of what I just
told you about this series was stuff I gleaned from the Internet.
The story that stars the Lumberjanes is 3-pages long. The first page has one of the girls
persuading another one to tell a ghost tale. The last 2-pages involves a hunter, his trusty dog
and a malevolent black creature called the Tailypo- but no Lumberjane campers. Like the
problem I had with last year's Adventure Time story, how can readers connect with the
characters if they don't even star in the segment devoted to them? Lumberjanes might be
a great series and it has won critical acclaim for being a comic devoted to girls. But what
BOOM! had to offer me in this mini comic didn't inspire me to give it another go anytime
soon.
After slaying the competition at last year's Halloween Comicfest, BOOM! Really dropped
the ball this go round. This book is an all-ages title, but I'd advise you to persuade your child
that if they only get to choose one comic during next week's Halloween festivities, go for
the Archie book instead. It's far superior to this offering. Maybe next year...
Not Worth Consuming.
Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.
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